Once again, from my postings (or lack thereof), you'd think we haven't been eating, haven't been cooking, or both. Not quite true, although the last few weeks have passed in a blur that meant "catch as catch can" for most meals.
Having said that, though, the new hit around here is a sort of deconstructed pesto & greens pasta dish I put together a couple of weeks ago and replicated yesterday. After all, we have to use up all that farfalle somehow!
In a big iron skillet: lots of garlic, some olive oil, a bunch of chopped chard (or arugula, which I used yesterday), a few leaves of fresh marjoram, a little salt, sauteed until the greens are done to taste. Then finely chopped basil stirred in in the last couple of minutes. Toss that with hot cooked farfalle, a handful of pine nuts, and possibly a bit of tomato and a few olives. Rennet-free parmesan for me, soy gouda for J, and it's a fabulous and fast lunch.
J has also been making hummus a lot lately, and that's been a treat.
As for the kitty: a simple annual checkup turned out to be a day-long ordeal yesterday when she went ballistic in the examining room and had to be sedated. If that weren't bad enough (both that she & all the people involved had to go through it, and that it was expensive!), it's taken her a long time to come down from the sedative and the drug they give to reverse its effects. I do confess that I found her stumbling around a bit funny, and what seemed to be some kitty hallucinations hilarious: she was convinced last night that my cd binder was her mortal enemy, and this morning she was growling at J's bag of clothes to be drycleaned.
Luckily, she's fine now, and the checkup didn't turn up anything wrong, although we haven't gotten blood test results back yet.
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Pasta Salad, Anyone?
Occasionally, J & I order from Fresh Direct, which allows us to lay in heavy dry goods like flour and cat litter without having to carry them home. But Fresh Direct giveth and Fresh Direct taketh away: sometimes they mess up the order a little. So far, none of the mistakes (except for giving us a box of Uncle Ben's Perverted Rice) have been bad enough to complain about--in fact, we once got a free 6-pack of beer!--and it's kind of fun to wonder if, or how, FD will make a mistake this time.
I think this week's substitution is a little funny. Among other things, I ordered a box of linguine, a box of farfalle, and a jar of white vinegar (the cheap stuff, to clean with). The linguine arrived, but no vinegar, and instead of one box of farfalle:
Some poor soul out there was going to make a big huge pasta salad, and got my vinegar instead!
The kitty, of course, has been hard at work lately:
This is just begging for a LOLCATS caption. Any ideas, y'all?
I think this week's substitution is a little funny. Among other things, I ordered a box of linguine, a box of farfalle, and a jar of white vinegar (the cheap stuff, to clean with). The linguine arrived, but no vinegar, and instead of one box of farfalle:
Some poor soul out there was going to make a big huge pasta salad, and got my vinegar instead!
The kitty, of course, has been hard at work lately:
This is just begging for a LOLCATS caption. Any ideas, y'all?
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Recent Cooking Endeavors, Etc.
It's been a hectic week, and the next two are likely to be just as bad, if not worse, as I get ready to take my Irish translation exam and revise and defend my dissertation proposal. But once I leap these two hurdles, I'll officially be ABD.
Anyway, despite the busy-ness, we've eaten well:
Last weekend, J made pizza crust, and so we had pizza several times this week. This one is vegan:
Then, Friday, I made another batch of granola. I've been doing this off and on since I lived at Twin Poplars, where Rowena showed me how. This batch is particularly tasty: in addition to the oats, oil, and honey, I put in raw sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. The trick with making granola, I've discovered, is to make sure to soak the fruit for a little while before toasting the whole thing--otherwise, the fruit gets hard and dry.
Lately, we've gotten some nice wines from the local wine shop, whose name--I'm a little embarrassed to say--I don't think I've ever noticed. It's on 7th Ave between 14th and 15th, and the folks who work there are nice, helpful, and have good senses of humor. But my not remembering the name of the shop is only indicative of the problem I have remembering the names of wines I like, so I'm going to try to begin taking pictures of the labels and posting the pictures here with a little commentary, however minimal.
The one on the left is, I think, my favorite since I've been back in NYC, and it was perfect with the pizza. The one on the right wasn't particularly memorable--nice enough, but nothing stuck in my mind about it. We also had a nice French one, but that bottle got recycled before I thought to take a picture of it.
In other news, I started some parsley and marigold seeds indoors yesterday. Not much to see right now--just wet brown dirt in a container. I haven't ever had much luck starting plants from seeds, probably because I tend not to pay attention to when and how they're to be sown, but I have some hopes for these. I'll be curious to see how the marigolds do--I saved the seeds from last year's, but have no idea whether the seedlings I bought last year were hybrids or what. Possibly they'll do nothing, but we'll see. Next on the list are basil, arugula, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I'll buy rosemary and lavender already started, I think.
And finally, the kitty doesn't want J to go on her next residency:
Bye, J--we'll miss you!
Anyway, despite the busy-ness, we've eaten well:
Last weekend, J made pizza crust, and so we had pizza several times this week. This one is vegan:
Then, Friday, I made another batch of granola. I've been doing this off and on since I lived at Twin Poplars, where Rowena showed me how. This batch is particularly tasty: in addition to the oats, oil, and honey, I put in raw sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. The trick with making granola, I've discovered, is to make sure to soak the fruit for a little while before toasting the whole thing--otherwise, the fruit gets hard and dry.
Lately, we've gotten some nice wines from the local wine shop, whose name--I'm a little embarrassed to say--I don't think I've ever noticed. It's on 7th Ave between 14th and 15th, and the folks who work there are nice, helpful, and have good senses of humor. But my not remembering the name of the shop is only indicative of the problem I have remembering the names of wines I like, so I'm going to try to begin taking pictures of the labels and posting the pictures here with a little commentary, however minimal.
The one on the left is, I think, my favorite since I've been back in NYC, and it was perfect with the pizza. The one on the right wasn't particularly memorable--nice enough, but nothing stuck in my mind about it. We also had a nice French one, but that bottle got recycled before I thought to take a picture of it.
In other news, I started some parsley and marigold seeds indoors yesterday. Not much to see right now--just wet brown dirt in a container. I haven't ever had much luck starting plants from seeds, probably because I tend not to pay attention to when and how they're to be sown, but I have some hopes for these. I'll be curious to see how the marigolds do--I saved the seeds from last year's, but have no idea whether the seedlings I bought last year were hybrids or what. Possibly they'll do nothing, but we'll see. Next on the list are basil, arugula, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I'll buy rosemary and lavender already started, I think.
And finally, the kitty doesn't want J to go on her next residency:
Bye, J--we'll miss you!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Finally, A New Post: Bean Thing and Pepper Distress
No, folks, I haven't sworn off blogging like An Briosca Mór--I've just been in transit since the day after my last post! But I'm home now with a vengeance, grounded by the nasty cold that seems to have made the rounds: J seems to have had it in Banff, and most of my DC circle was in various stages of it when I was down there last week.
Of course, head colds are a great excuse for using hot peppers in everything: the other night, I made a chipotle black bean soup and jalapeño cornbread, and last night, I made a bean casserole using the leftovers of the soup, plus more jalapeño peppers, onions, garlic, a can of red beans, and some leftover tomato sauce from J's brilliant Sunday night pasta. It was fabulous, and reminded me of Twin Poplars days, when Rowena made some version of bean casserole frequently.
Unfortunately, mixing hot peppers and a head cold tends to intensify one of the occupational hazards of capsaicin, and I wasn't careful enough getting the jalapeño juice off my hands, and these were more potent than I'm used to jalapeños being. Luckily, I didn't rub my eyes, but I did blow my nose, and somehow my fingers came into contact with the inside of my nose rather than the tissue. YIPE! Damn, did that hurt. I raced to the bathroom to try to wash off the burning juice, but the soap only compounded the irritation, and spread the pain to the previously unaffected nostril.
(By now, you're wondering why I'm writing in public about the inside of my nose, but bear with me--this is a public service announcement!)
So I came back into the kitchen, swearing and saying OW, and knowing that I wasn't going to enjoy my dinner with my nose burning off from the inside. But the Internet is a wonderful thing, and so for all-y'all out there who might someday suffer such a thing, I'm here to say that rinsing off the juice with vegetable oil does do the trick. Some Q-tips, some olive oil, and voila, no pain!
And the kitty looked on....
Of course, head colds are a great excuse for using hot peppers in everything: the other night, I made a chipotle black bean soup and jalapeño cornbread, and last night, I made a bean casserole using the leftovers of the soup, plus more jalapeño peppers, onions, garlic, a can of red beans, and some leftover tomato sauce from J's brilliant Sunday night pasta. It was fabulous, and reminded me of Twin Poplars days, when Rowena made some version of bean casserole frequently.
Unfortunately, mixing hot peppers and a head cold tends to intensify one of the occupational hazards of capsaicin, and I wasn't careful enough getting the jalapeño juice off my hands, and these were more potent than I'm used to jalapeños being. Luckily, I didn't rub my eyes, but I did blow my nose, and somehow my fingers came into contact with the inside of my nose rather than the tissue. YIPE! Damn, did that hurt. I raced to the bathroom to try to wash off the burning juice, but the soap only compounded the irritation, and spread the pain to the previously unaffected nostril.
(By now, you're wondering why I'm writing in public about the inside of my nose, but bear with me--this is a public service announcement!)
So I came back into the kitchen, swearing and saying OW, and knowing that I wasn't going to enjoy my dinner with my nose burning off from the inside. But the Internet is a wonderful thing, and so for all-y'all out there who might someday suffer such a thing, I'm here to say that rinsing off the juice with vegetable oil does do the trick. Some Q-tips, some olive oil, and voila, no pain!
And the kitty looked on....
Friday, March 14, 2008
My Last Week in Cambridge, Part 2
The packing's done, and nearly everything fit into my suitcase! In amongst running errands and packing and other last things, I managed to take a few pictures around Jesus this afternoon. The weather cooperated nicely, although the college cat didn't make an appearance for the camera (though I did find out that there were once two, but that the mean one hasn't been seen for about a year; the nice one is a girl kitty named Raggy, if sieve-memory serves, who indeed does spend a good deal in one of the staircases in Chapel Court--the same doorway where Lauren and I saw her a week ago). I did have to work around a bevy of groundskeepers, though, as I took these photos.
The Chimney:
There's lots of modern sculpture around Jesus College:
The chapel:
Walking into Cloister Court:
And finally, I got around to trying one of Fitzbillies' famous Chelsea buns. I understand why they're famous now, and would certainly not turn one down again, although (as Celia from purple podded peas feared) the currants weren't exactly welcome. But even despite the currants, I could see getting a craving for the tasty contrast between the slightly crunchy bun and the syrup it's drenched in.
Now I'm off to get a few hours' sleep before I head off on the 5:10am bus to Heathrow tomorrow. A few days in Clare, and then I'm NYC-bound! It's time to see my own kitty, and of course, J.
The Chimney:
There's lots of modern sculpture around Jesus College:
The chapel:
Walking into Cloister Court:
And finally, I got around to trying one of Fitzbillies' famous Chelsea buns. I understand why they're famous now, and would certainly not turn one down again, although (as Celia from purple podded peas feared) the currants weren't exactly welcome. But even despite the currants, I could see getting a craving for the tasty contrast between the slightly crunchy bun and the syrup it's drenched in.
Now I'm off to get a few hours' sleep before I head off on the 5:10am bus to Heathrow tomorrow. A few days in Clare, and then I'm NYC-bound! It's time to see my own kitty, and of course, J.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
My Last Week in Cambridge, Part 1
In the middle of term, time seemed to pass like molasses dripping off a spoon in the dead of winter; now--well, I won't even try to speak in similes. Will I do everything I'd like to in this last week? Probably not, but so far I've had fun!
Monday, before Lauren left to go back to Dublin, we had a fun (if chilly) time walking around St. Johns and Trinity, feeling a little brash for avoiding the admission charges. Of course, I am a student and am technically allowed to go into any college, but even so, I can't help feeling "interpellated," to invoke Althusser, by the boards that ask visitors for entry fees: "This means YOU." This feeling comes from the same place, I think, as my ambivalence about the colleges: students, particularly undergrads, seem to put a great deal of effort into "belonging," and "belonging" seems to be an automatic privilege of attending the university, of being part of a college--and, ultimately, of being a graduate of the University of Cambridge. I say "seems," because I am very sure some students do not "belong"--but I haven't met anyone yet who does not "belong" on some very basic level. As a visiting student, I don't "belong" to my college or the university, despite the good time I've had and, I hope, the lasting connections I've made here.
Anyway, interpellation and belonging aside, I was excited to show Lauren St. John's, which, in my limited experience with Cambridge's colleges, has become my favorite. Partly because I've spent some happy and productive hours there at seminars with a group of (mostly) history grad students doing work on gender, but also because of the look of it. The colors and shapes of its architecture, the amazing library door, the way the old and new fit together (mostly!), and especially the Bridge of Sighs. Yeah, I'm not particularly original there--I'm sure every tourist gushes over it--but that doesn't make it any less magical.
I was proud of this photo of Lauren on the bridge: I managed to get the look of the light in it, and the doorway at the end.
Here's one of me, windswept and cold, with the Bridge of Sighs in the background:
--and another of a wonderful large door in St. John's:
All in all, a nice morning's walk, and we managed to do all this before the storm hit in earnest.
Yesterday, I woke with a migraine, but had too full a day to succumb completely, so I clobbered it with caffeine, in both coffee and Excedrin form. Talk about being high, though this time was different--I didn't get the rave experience, which was probably good, since I had a couple of meetings and a lecture to go to! Sarah, the other NYU student here on the gender studies scholarship, left in the wee hours of this morning, so I said goodbye to her last night. The house today has seemed rather quiet with her gone, but the last gender & history seminar was excellent, as was my meeting afterward.
But with one thing and another, I didn't have time to try to get a Chelsea bun again today! Oh, but Lauren and I did learn that Jesus College actually has two tuxedo cats, and apparently one is friendly and the other isn't. We must have encountered the friendly one on Friday, because he let me pet him.
Monday, before Lauren left to go back to Dublin, we had a fun (if chilly) time walking around St. Johns and Trinity, feeling a little brash for avoiding the admission charges. Of course, I am a student and am technically allowed to go into any college, but even so, I can't help feeling "interpellated," to invoke Althusser, by the boards that ask visitors for entry fees: "This means YOU." This feeling comes from the same place, I think, as my ambivalence about the colleges: students, particularly undergrads, seem to put a great deal of effort into "belonging," and "belonging" seems to be an automatic privilege of attending the university, of being part of a college--and, ultimately, of being a graduate of the University of Cambridge. I say "seems," because I am very sure some students do not "belong"--but I haven't met anyone yet who does not "belong" on some very basic level. As a visiting student, I don't "belong" to my college or the university, despite the good time I've had and, I hope, the lasting connections I've made here.
Anyway, interpellation and belonging aside, I was excited to show Lauren St. John's, which, in my limited experience with Cambridge's colleges, has become my favorite. Partly because I've spent some happy and productive hours there at seminars with a group of (mostly) history grad students doing work on gender, but also because of the look of it. The colors and shapes of its architecture, the amazing library door, the way the old and new fit together (mostly!), and especially the Bridge of Sighs. Yeah, I'm not particularly original there--I'm sure every tourist gushes over it--but that doesn't make it any less magical.
I was proud of this photo of Lauren on the bridge: I managed to get the look of the light in it, and the doorway at the end.
Here's one of me, windswept and cold, with the Bridge of Sighs in the background:
--and another of a wonderful large door in St. John's:
All in all, a nice morning's walk, and we managed to do all this before the storm hit in earnest.
Yesterday, I woke with a migraine, but had too full a day to succumb completely, so I clobbered it with caffeine, in both coffee and Excedrin form. Talk about being high, though this time was different--I didn't get the rave experience, which was probably good, since I had a couple of meetings and a lecture to go to! Sarah, the other NYU student here on the gender studies scholarship, left in the wee hours of this morning, so I said goodbye to her last night. The house today has seemed rather quiet with her gone, but the last gender & history seminar was excellent, as was my meeting afterward.
But with one thing and another, I didn't have time to try to get a Chelsea bun again today! Oh, but Lauren and I did learn that Jesus College actually has two tuxedo cats, and apparently one is friendly and the other isn't. We must have encountered the friendly one on Friday, because he let me pet him.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Meanwhile, Back at Jesus....
I'm not sure I've mentioned that the college here at Cambridge with which I'm affiliated is Jesus College--a name that creates all sorts of opportunities for unintentional hilarity, as in, "Are you going back to Jesus soon?"
Name aside, I get a good giggle every once in a while at printed materials, like these:
From the Jesus College library rules:
"Please do not let the college cat into the library."
Yes, there is a college cat, and it's black and white--very attractive, and he (?) nearly came up to me one day, only to pass by nonchalantly as though I weren't sitting there clicking to him. It seems a fairly common thing, having a college cat, and I wish we had an NYU cat--except that it would certainly come to some terrible end.
And best of all:
This morning, as I was walking to the library, I saw the notices out for Chapel events this evening. Thinking I would see something about music, I looked more closely, but what I saw was a sign that said
"TONIGHT! Film of a potentially morally improving nature!"
The film is A Room With a View, and I would almost go, except that I'd be afraid of the sorts of people wanting moral improvement on a Friday night--they might potentially want to morally improve me! So I have decided that unless I meet a crowd at the LGBT drinks earlier who want to go and crash it in order to leer salaciously at Helena Bonham Carter, I'll sit this one out. HBC isn't my type, anyway.
Name aside, I get a good giggle every once in a while at printed materials, like these:
From the Jesus College library rules:
"Please do not let the college cat into the library."
Yes, there is a college cat, and it's black and white--very attractive, and he (?) nearly came up to me one day, only to pass by nonchalantly as though I weren't sitting there clicking to him. It seems a fairly common thing, having a college cat, and I wish we had an NYU cat--except that it would certainly come to some terrible end.
And best of all:
This morning, as I was walking to the library, I saw the notices out for Chapel events this evening. Thinking I would see something about music, I looked more closely, but what I saw was a sign that said
"TONIGHT! Film of a potentially morally improving nature!"
The film is A Room With a View, and I would almost go, except that I'd be afraid of the sorts of people wanting moral improvement on a Friday night--they might potentially want to morally improve me! So I have decided that unless I meet a crowd at the LGBT drinks earlier who want to go and crash it in order to leer salaciously at Helena Bonham Carter, I'll sit this one out. HBC isn't my type, anyway.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Kitty Strategy
I think someone else is getting hooked on the train game....
(n.b. We weren't actually watching football--this was a commercial during, I believe, an episode of Survivorman!)
This was right before Maddie swatted my piece off the board, I believe.
(n.b. We weren't actually watching football--this was a commercial during, I believe, an episode of Survivorman!)
This was right before Maddie swatted my piece off the board, I believe.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Freakin' Out the Kitty Cat
J & I just decided we needed a good laugh, so watched the Kitty Cat Dance for what must have been the hundredth time--and in the spirit of killing time, we clicked on a few more links, ranging from the hilarious to the truly bizarro. Maddie didn't enjoy these nearly as much as we did, though.
Listen to Tiresias (at the end)...
Gizmo Flushes...
Homage to Gizmo...
and--Creepy. Too Creepy, Man, Too Creepy.
I know some of you out there are waiting for me to write more about Ireland--somehow, I haven't had the energy for much of that (though plenty of energy for other things). But never fear--one of these days....
Listen to Tiresias (at the end)...
Gizmo Flushes...
Homage to Gizmo...
and--Creepy. Too Creepy, Man, Too Creepy.
I know some of you out there are waiting for me to write more about Ireland--somehow, I haven't had the energy for much of that (though plenty of energy for other things). But never fear--one of these days....
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Googlicious
As y'all know, I had been expecting lots of hits from people searching "Virginia Tech" on Google Blogsearch--but have not, as far as I can tell, gotten a single one...yet the "P---y P--n" hits keep coming. I can only imagine that the sheer volume of Tech stuff out there is overwhelming, even to the most obsessed blogtrawler....
In other news, J and I have begun teasing Maddie that we're going to get her a kitten to play with. That could be a very good idea...or a very bad one--and it's impossible to figure out which without trying it. In any case, we won't follow up on that idea until after the summer.
In other news, J and I have begun teasing Maddie that we're going to get her a kitten to play with. That could be a very good idea...or a very bad one--and it's impossible to figure out which without trying it. In any case, we won't follow up on that idea until after the summer.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Miracles *Can* Happen
...I am nearly finished writing my paper that's due tomorrow, which means I won't have to get up before 9 or so!* Glory hallelujah! As it turns out, I'm getting to go on about the controversy over Dingle's recent renaming--and un-renaming. Good fun.
In other news, I made the tough decision to pull my paper out of the Feminist Theory & Music 9 conference in Montreal in June so I can go to Ireland earlier. I'm bummed that I had to make that choice--it's such a fun conference!--but it will save me money and give me a bit more time in Ireland.
* that is, if Maddie doesn't wake us up AGAIN before the alarm. She's getting outrageous about doing that, and it makes me CRANKY to have to get up before I have to!
In other news, I made the tough decision to pull my paper out of the Feminist Theory & Music 9 conference in Montreal in June so I can go to Ireland earlier. I'm bummed that I had to make that choice--it's such a fun conference!--but it will save me money and give me a bit more time in Ireland.
* that is, if Maddie doesn't wake us up AGAIN before the alarm. She's getting outrageous about doing that, and it makes me CRANKY to have to get up before I have to!
Monday, April 9, 2007
Fish Tacos Ole!
It's been a while since J and I have gotten into any major cooking endeavors and I've had a chance to post while the memory is still fresh. Tonight, as a nice homely activity after a busy weekend and a long Monday, we made fish tacos. Very simple, but brilliant: J made the guacamole (hers is awesome) and a nicely-spiced black bean, onion, garlic, cilantro, roasted red pepper, and leftover rice concoction. In the meantime, I pan-fried some super-fresh and wonderful tilapia. I gave it a light coating of spiced flour, and managed to get it nice and golden but not too greasy. Fecked all that into tortillas with a little salsa (the weakest link--it was from a jar) and some sour cream for me, and we ate ourselves silly.
While I'm catching up on food blogging: last week I made some granola with cashews and dried mango, and we hoovered that up in record time. When I get a chance, this week's batch will involve dried banana and perhaps candied ginger.
In other news, Maddie the Kitty is getting more active and trimmer every day. Today J caught her on top of the fridge--someplace she had never been in this apartment, as far as we know--and I spotted her leaping in the air after a moth.
While I'm catching up on food blogging: last week I made some granola with cashews and dried mango, and we hoovered that up in record time. When I get a chance, this week's batch will involve dried banana and perhaps candied ginger.
In other news, Maddie the Kitty is getting more active and trimmer every day. Today J caught her on top of the fridge--someplace she had never been in this apartment, as far as we know--and I spotted her leaping in the air after a moth.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sadder.
Ok, I figure I'm probably now 97% burned out: I can't even get it up to write about trad!
(Maybe someday this blog won't always be about me being busy and procrastinating....)
In other news, Maddie is eating on her own now--and there was much rejoicing in the land! She's still somewhat snotty, but is improving rapidly--enough that now she really puts up a fight during kitty meds time.
(Maybe someday this blog won't always be about me being busy and procrastinating....)
In other news, Maddie is eating on her own now--and there was much rejoicing in the land! She's still somewhat snotty, but is improving rapidly--enough that now she really puts up a fight during kitty meds time.
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Jehovah's Witnesses Strike Again
Apparently cats are evil. Maybe some Jehovah's Witness cursed Maddie. Here's a hilarious site about all the reasons cats are evil, including these:
So let me get this straight: cats are evil because they have extramarital sex? Does that mean I could save a cat's soul by wedding her to another cat and only letting them have sex with each other? What about neutered cats? The logic fails there. I mean, poor Maddie isn't having any sex at all! In fact, for all I know, she's probably a virgin.
Ok, yeah, she does have a small catnip habit, but it's only very small!
And about this business of "employment of devices not known to have been used by Jesus"...ok, I'll grant that Jesus probably didn't use a catbox, but then, he didn't use aftershave or a coil mattress or doorknobs either....
Ok, enough fun procrastinatory ranting for me....
"Cats practice many unclean habits not befitting a Christian household: coughing up fur balls, licking inappropriate body areas on their own bodies (inappropriate handling) and even, in some cases, on the bodies of their human owners (wrongful motive?), urination on the floor, vocal and blatant promiscuity (unknown to any other species, all others being endowed with Godly chastity and decorum) and widespread sexual misconduct without the benefit or sanctity of holy matrimony, even orgiastic practices, substance abuse of catnip (an intoxicating herb) which produces conditions akin to drunkenness, stealing food from the table, producing ungodly sounds, excessive playfulness and the employment of devices not known to have been used by Jesus, the conducting of its unholy business under the cover of the darkness of night, and so on. What sort of example does this give our young ones endeavoring to faithfully serve Jehovah?"
So let me get this straight: cats are evil because they have extramarital sex? Does that mean I could save a cat's soul by wedding her to another cat and only letting them have sex with each other? What about neutered cats? The logic fails there. I mean, poor Maddie isn't having any sex at all! In fact, for all I know, she's probably a virgin.
Ok, yeah, she does have a small catnip habit, but it's only very small!
And about this business of "employment of devices not known to have been used by Jesus"...ok, I'll grant that Jesus probably didn't use a catbox, but then, he didn't use aftershave or a coil mattress or doorknobs either....
Ok, enough fun procrastinatory ranting for me....
Cat Food and Amoxicillin: the New Look for Spring
As those of you who talked to me yesterday already know, J and I have a sick kitty--poor Maddie has a bad head cold. We took her to the vet Wednesday morning, got some kitty meds, and as she's an older cat, the vet told us we have to be especially careful to make sure she eats at least a little something. That wasn't a big deal on Wednesday, as Maddie thought she was in kitty heaven when the vet pulled out some wet food to give her there in the office--but for some reason, her appetite for stinky cat food waned yesterday and hasn't returned today. I think it's because she can't really smell much; she also wasn't interested in catnip.
So what that means is that in addition to giving her the bright pink amoxicillin liquid (which smells like bubble gum and which she HATES with a growling passion), we also have to try to get her to eat. Last night I had an idea that maybe she'd lick it off my hands more quickly than eat it from her bowl, but that only resulted in me wearing more of the cat food than Maddie ate! Ditto the meds, but the vet assured us they take that into consideration with the dosage.
The only therapeutic activity she doesn't seem to mind is hanging out with us when we take showers!
I can't wait until this kitty is back to normal! She's clearly feeling better--she's much more spirited than she was on Wednesday--but the not eating is worrisome. Not getting sneezed on will also be a grand change!
Speaking of which--the vet thinks we can help her chronic sneezing with L-lysine, an amino acid that's supposed to be good for mucus membranes. That is, once we can get her to eat!
In other news, this weekend I have to write a conference paper for next weekend (MACSEM in Williamsburg, VA)
In the meantime, for those of you in academia, here's a fun website for checking up on who gets hired for which jobs....
So what that means is that in addition to giving her the bright pink amoxicillin liquid (which smells like bubble gum and which she HATES with a growling passion), we also have to try to get her to eat. Last night I had an idea that maybe she'd lick it off my hands more quickly than eat it from her bowl, but that only resulted in me wearing more of the cat food than Maddie ate! Ditto the meds, but the vet assured us they take that into consideration with the dosage.
The only therapeutic activity she doesn't seem to mind is hanging out with us when we take showers!
I can't wait until this kitty is back to normal! She's clearly feeling better--she's much more spirited than she was on Wednesday--but the not eating is worrisome. Not getting sneezed on will also be a grand change!
Speaking of which--the vet thinks we can help her chronic sneezing with L-lysine, an amino acid that's supposed to be good for mucus membranes. That is, once we can get her to eat!
In other news, this weekend I have to write a conference paper for next weekend (MACSEM in Williamsburg, VA)
In the meantime, for those of you in academia, here's a fun website for checking up on who gets hired for which jobs....
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
If You See One Where People Are Swimming....
Now that Rob has clued me in about how to embed YouTube videos, y'all might be seeing a great deal more of them. Like this one, my all-time favorite Monty Python sketch:
In other news, Maddie the cat has a horrid headcold that's not going away, so off to the vet with her tomorrow morning. It'll be interesting to see what the vet's office here in Yuppieland is like (but hey, I'm not complaining in the least...hell, now we live in a neighborhood where the milk isn't spoiled in the stores...).
In other news, Maddie the cat has a horrid headcold that's not going away, so off to the vet with her tomorrow morning. It'll be interesting to see what the vet's office here in Yuppieland is like (but hey, I'm not complaining in the least...hell, now we live in a neighborhood where the milk isn't spoiled in the stores...).
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
The Naming
At long last, the question "Have you named the kitty yet?" has become obsolete.
Meet Madonna--Maddie for short.
We celebrated the occasion by getting her stoned on the catnip Nicol gave her, whereupon Maddie looked even more pleased with herself than usual.
Meet Madonna--Maddie for short.
We celebrated the occasion by getting her stoned on the catnip Nicol gave her, whereupon Maddie looked even more pleased with herself than usual.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Sssssssssssssss--FRIED!
I think my grant essays are now imprinted on my retinas. I may not get the money, but I suppose it's a good exercise to have written this stuff.
Nevertheless, I found this a silly website last night whilst procrastinating: 16822 Cat Names. I wasn't in need of enough distraction to go through all 16,000-odd, but I did find a good handful of howlers, including "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" (I shudder to picture the bearer of that name) and, inexplicable but rather endearing, "Helper Kitty." (Is this a seeing-eye cat who's only good for showing the way between where the cat food is kept and her food bowl?)
Nicol pointed out another good one: Cute Little Kittens. It's just what it says, although some of them are neither cute nor kittens.
Nevertheless, I found this a silly website last night whilst procrastinating: 16822 Cat Names. I wasn't in need of enough distraction to go through all 16,000-odd, but I did find a good handful of howlers, including "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" (I shudder to picture the bearer of that name) and, inexplicable but rather endearing, "Helper Kitty." (Is this a seeing-eye cat who's only good for showing the way between where the cat food is kept and her food bowl?)
Nicol pointed out another good one: Cute Little Kittens. It's just what it says, although some of them are neither cute nor kittens.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
New Game!
I decided to change the sheets tonight. Kitty wanted to help.
"Hey! Beasties live under there!"*
"Wait...where'd they go?"
"Oh, well--guess I'll just roll around and look cute, then."
* We don't really have beasties living in our bed, aside from the invisible ones that cats chase....
"Hey! Beasties live under there!"*
"Wait...where'd they go?"
"Oh, well--guess I'll just roll around and look cute, then."
* We don't really have beasties living in our bed, aside from the invisible ones that cats chase....
Friday, February 16, 2007
Kitty!
Through a strange twist of fate, Giblet's coming home!
This morning, our friend Megan (the go-between between us and Giblet's owner...long story why her owner didn't deal with us directly) came to collect the kitty, and so I--sad and feeling very much like I was sending Giblet to some version of doom--got her in the cat carrier and out to the car. (Incidentally, this enterprise is much easier with a declawed cat, as horrible as I think declawing is.) Soon they were off--I think Giblet was going to hang out at Megan's house until her owner got off work.
So there I was, sitting in my therapy appointment this afternoon, already having talked about how sad we were to see Giblet leave, and my phone rings: Megan. I silenced it the first couple of times, but picked up the third time, thinking it must be important. And indeed! Apparently Giblet was in the car, ready to go to Iowa, and Megan said something about how well she thought we'd been treating Giblet, and the owner asked if we wanted to keep her...so that's why Megan was ringing me: to find out whether we really did want her. Between the first and the third times she rang, Megan had had to make the executive decision that we did want Giblet, and so I think she was fairly relieved when I answered and said she'd definitely made the right choice.
So this evening Giblet will be coming back to her beloved Amazon.com box, her Doc Marten shoestring toy, and us. (We hadn't sent those things with her, assuming that they'd just be thrown out anyway.)
Now all she needs is a new name, because Widget/Giblet are not suitable names for a nice kitty.
This morning, our friend Megan (the go-between between us and Giblet's owner...long story why her owner didn't deal with us directly) came to collect the kitty, and so I--sad and feeling very much like I was sending Giblet to some version of doom--got her in the cat carrier and out to the car. (Incidentally, this enterprise is much easier with a declawed cat, as horrible as I think declawing is.) Soon they were off--I think Giblet was going to hang out at Megan's house until her owner got off work.
So there I was, sitting in my therapy appointment this afternoon, already having talked about how sad we were to see Giblet leave, and my phone rings: Megan. I silenced it the first couple of times, but picked up the third time, thinking it must be important. And indeed! Apparently Giblet was in the car, ready to go to Iowa, and Megan said something about how well she thought we'd been treating Giblet, and the owner asked if we wanted to keep her...so that's why Megan was ringing me: to find out whether we really did want her. Between the first and the third times she rang, Megan had had to make the executive decision that we did want Giblet, and so I think she was fairly relieved when I answered and said she'd definitely made the right choice.
So this evening Giblet will be coming back to her beloved Amazon.com box, her Doc Marten shoestring toy, and us. (We hadn't sent those things with her, assuming that they'd just be thrown out anyway.)
Now all she needs is a new name, because Widget/Giblet are not suitable names for a nice kitty.
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