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Happy Birthday, Luke & Leia
According to their adoption paperwork, our kittens Luke and Leia are one year old today! They’ve brought a great deal of joy to our household, and we’re looking forward to many more! Happy birthday, kitties!
Upon The Fields Of Catnip
Upon The Fields Of Catnip
by Rob Wynne
TTTO: “Fields of Gold” by Sting
You’ll remember how I would always purr upon the fields of catnip
You’ll forget the spot where I used to sleep as we play with balls of yarn
So the time to go was a time I chose upon the fields of catnip
In her arms I slipped through the summer door to play with balls of yarn
“Won’t you stay with me? Must you leave so soon to roam the fields of catnip?
All these years you’ve gazed from your lofty perch and played with balls of yarn”
But the quiet calls and it’s time to go upon the fields of catnip.
Feel my body still as I slip away to play with balls of yarn
“I never sent you away lightly
and there have been times I regretted
But I thought you’d be there waiting to play with balls of yarn
We’ll play with balls of yarn”
Now a year has gone and I still run free upon the fields of catnip
Let a kitten romp through my favourite haunts and play with balls of yarn
You’ll remember how I would always purr upon the fields of catnip
I’ll be waiting here, ’till we meet again, and we’ll play with balls of yarn
We’ll play with balls of yarn
We’ll play with balls of yarn
It’s been a little over a year now since we lost Dayna. Earlier today, I saw on Facebook that a friend’s beloved pet had crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and someone commented that he was “running around in fields of catnip now”, and this just poured out. I still miss you, you weird furry little kitty.
Mirrored from Home of the Autographed Cat.
RIP Dayna (1998-2012)
Nearly fifteen years ago, shortly after our apartment burned down and we had moved into a townhouse in Norcross, our neighbor asked ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
a_blue_moon_cat and I if we'd be willing to adopt a couple of kittens. She'd rescued the mother from the parking lot of her workplace, and she had two that she'd been unable to find homes for. We already had two cats at the time, but the kittens were adorable, and we decided to take them on. We named them Tarrant and Dayna, continuing the Blake's Seven theme our other two cats shared.
Whena_blue_moon_cat and I split up a few years later, she kept all four cats, but a couple of years after that asked me if I'd take one of them, as she was about to move and didn't think she could find a rental that would let her bring in four cats. We agreed to take Dayna.
Dayna was a neurotic cat even by feline standards. Wild-eyed and curious, she loved sounds, and would frequently rattle blinds or scratch the sides of boxes just to hear the sound they made. She was convinced the knowledge of mankind could be hers if only she could eat enough magazines, and any periodical left within her grasp soon looked like it had been attacked by a confetti punch.
She was often shy about attention, but she always liked being near people, if not quite within arms reach. In recent years, and especially since our other cat Jenna passed away she'd become much friendlier, and spent many a night curled up between![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kitanzi and me while we watched television, and she slept many nights on the bed with us, purring contently to be near.
As we prepared to make the move to Seattle, the question of how best to move Dayna was discussed. She had become older and frailer as her years advanced, and she'd lost some weight recently which concerned us. We took her to the Cat Clinic in Roswell, which had been her vets her entire life, and they checked her over and found some early kidney disease, but otherwise found her to be in good health for a cat her age. They gave her some meds to help with that and to clear up a small infection, and said she should be fine. As we got closer to Thanksgiving, I again raised concern to the vet, and they even did an ultrasound to rule out any early cancers. The vet cleared her for travel, saying our only concern was finding something she liked to eat to get her up to a healthier weight.
She flew back to Seattle withrunnerwolf, who would take good care of her and help get her settled into our new home. But it quickly became obvious that she was continuing to fade. Tonight, Beth called me, a couple of hours ago, and said "I don't think she's going to last much longer." We discussed her condition, and I asked her to put the phone down where Dayna could hear me. I said "Dayna....we love you. If you need to go, it's okay. We understand." Beth says that when I spoke to her, she flicked her ears a couple of times, and a few moments later peacefully slipped away.
In her last days, as in all her life, she was pampered and loved by those around her. She had a long and full life, and in the end her suffering was minimal. I wasn't ready for this, and I will miss her more than I have any words for...she's been a constant presence in my life for 15 years, and you are never really prepared to say goodbye.
Farewell, Dayna-cat. I love you, always.
a_blue_moon_cat and I if we'd be willing to adopt a couple of kittens. She'd rescued the mother from the parking lot of her workplace, and she had two that she'd been unable to find homes for. We already had two cats at the time, but the kittens were adorable, and we decided to take them on. We named them Tarrant and Dayna, continuing the Blake's Seven theme our other two cats shared.When
a_blue_moon_cat and I split up a few years later, she kept all four cats, but a couple of years after that asked me if I'd take one of them, as she was about to move and didn't think she could find a rental that would let her bring in four cats. We agreed to take Dayna.Dayna was a neurotic cat even by feline standards. Wild-eyed and curious, she loved sounds, and would frequently rattle blinds or scratch the sides of boxes just to hear the sound they made. She was convinced the knowledge of mankind could be hers if only she could eat enough magazines, and any periodical left within her grasp soon looked like it had been attacked by a confetti punch.
She was often shy about attention, but she always liked being near people, if not quite within arms reach. In recent years, and especially since our other cat Jenna passed away she'd become much friendlier, and spent many a night curled up between
kitanzi and me while we watched television, and she slept many nights on the bed with us, purring contently to be near.As we prepared to make the move to Seattle, the question of how best to move Dayna was discussed. She had become older and frailer as her years advanced, and she'd lost some weight recently which concerned us. We took her to the Cat Clinic in Roswell, which had been her vets her entire life, and they checked her over and found some early kidney disease, but otherwise found her to be in good health for a cat her age. They gave her some meds to help with that and to clear up a small infection, and said she should be fine. As we got closer to Thanksgiving, I again raised concern to the vet, and they even did an ultrasound to rule out any early cancers. The vet cleared her for travel, saying our only concern was finding something she liked to eat to get her up to a healthier weight.
She flew back to Seattle with
runnerwolf, who would take good care of her and help get her settled into our new home. But it quickly became obvious that she was continuing to fade. Tonight, Beth called me, a couple of hours ago, and said "I don't think she's going to last much longer." We discussed her condition, and I asked her to put the phone down where Dayna could hear me. I said "Dayna....we love you. If you need to go, it's okay. We understand." Beth says that when I spoke to her, she flicked her ears a couple of times, and a few moments later peacefully slipped away. In her last days, as in all her life, she was pampered and loved by those around her. She had a long and full life, and in the end her suffering was minimal. I wasn't ready for this, and I will miss her more than I have any words for...she's been a constant presence in my life for 15 years, and you are never really prepared to say goodbye.
Farewell, Dayna-cat. I love you, always.
RIP Jenna (1997 - 2010)
kitanzi woke up this morning and found our cat, Jenna, had slipped away from us in the night. It's unclear at this point what precisely was the cause; she'd been having some distress that we thought at first was hairballs, but may have been a more acute stomach irritation. Last night, when I went to bed, she jumped up next to me and curled up next to my side, as she often did. She was friendly and energetic all evening, so I do not think she suffered long. Whatever the cause, it was sudden and not protracted.Jenna was one of the sweetest cats I've ever owned. She loved being near people, and I kept a folding table next to my desk with a fleece blanket folded on top of it, so she could curl up next to me while I played computer games. Her favourite spot on the couch was right in front of the arm, curled up against my leg while I'd watch TV, and she slept next to me most nights, at least for a while. She was often shy when someone new came to visit, but eventually she'd venture out and collect the petting that was her due.
We originally adopted her through the Cat Clinic of Roswell to be a companion for Dayna, who was used to being in a multi-cat household and seemed upset to suddenly be alone. They never did get along the way we'd hoped, but in recent years seemed to have settled into a truce with one another, still not the best of friends, but no longer objecting to the other's presence. I once joked that their relationship had "settled into an uneasy détente, so as long as neither one of then invades Afghanistan, I think we might at least have a sustainable peace."Back in May, she was suffering from some sort of intestinal inflammation that the vet was convinced was cancer. We were greatly relieved to learn it wasn't, but had no idea how short her time with us was to be. In recent weeks she'd seemed to have been well on the road to recovering her appetite, gaining weight, and generally being more spry and social than she'd been when she was sick. I already miss her more than words can say, and I'm grateful she didn't suffer long.
Good hunting, Jenna, wherever next you roam. You were a joy in our lives, and we are richer for the years you spent with us.
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The three best words I heard today...
As we were out driving on an errand this morning, we got a call from our vet, and he said three words that none of us (him included) expected to hear him say:
It's not cancer.
Whatever was bothering Jenna appears to been some sort of inflammatory disease or condition, but the biopsy came back clean. And since the biopsy was taken during the surgery, he feels completely confident that the sample he took was from the most abnormal looking section of the bowel.
We're continuing to treat her for the inflammation and the thyroid, and she needs to put some weight back on, but whatever else she has, it's not the lymphoma Dr. Ray was nearly certain she had.
(There's other big news from today, but that's another post...)
It's not cancer.
Whatever was bothering Jenna appears to been some sort of inflammatory disease or condition, but the biopsy came back clean. And since the biopsy was taken during the surgery, he feels completely confident that the sample he took was from the most abnormal looking section of the bowel.
We're continuing to treat her for the inflammation and the thyroid, and she needs to put some weight back on, but whatever else she has, it's not the lymphoma Dr. Ray was nearly certain she had.
(There's other big news from today, but that's another post...)
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Jenna is Home
She's hiding under the bed and not talking to us at the moment, but she is home and seems to be in reasonably good shape. We have a variety of medicines for her, and we'll get a call as soon as the biopsy results come in.
Thanks again for all the good thoughts.
Thanks again for all the good thoughts.
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Update on Jenna
Well, she came through the surgery with flying colours, and was awake and eating late this afternoon. They're keeping her overnight, but we should be able to bring her home tomorrow.
The surgeon said there was no mass as was suggested on the ultrasound, though the colon was thickened and abnormal, and there are signs of lymphoma. We'll know more when they get the biopsy back. At any rate, there are hopeful signs at this stage.
Thank you all for your kind wishes and support. It means a lot to all of us.
The surgeon said there was no mass as was suggested on the ultrasound, though the colon was thickened and abnormal, and there are signs of lymphoma. We'll know more when they get the biopsy back. At any rate, there are hopeful signs at this stage.
Thank you all for your kind wishes and support. It means a lot to all of us.
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Good thoughts requested
A while back, our cat Jenna had begun getting very finicky about food, and was losing weight at an alarming rate. We took her to the Cat Clinic of Roswell, and they kept her overnight, ran a bunch of tests, and eventually came up with a diagnosis of thyroid problems, put her on medication, and that seemed to be the end of the problem. But recently, we noticed that she was having more bouts of diarrhoea than previously, and had more distressingly picked a couple of spots in the apartment away from the litterbox to deposit this. And she was still thinner than we'd like.We took her back to the vet, for more tests and, after pancreatic deficiency was ruled out, brought her in for an ultrasound, because the vet was increasingly worried about bowel cancer. The ultrasound found a mass in her abdomen, so today, she's having surgery to have it removed and confirm what it is. There's still a chance that it's not cancer, though I'm trying hard not to get too attached to that idea. Even if it is, we're hoping that it can be excised and that we got to it early enough that even if it later recurs, she'll have several more happy years with us.
Aside from the gastric distress, you'd have no idea she was sick. She's still as active as you'd expect a 13 year old cat to be, and very affectionate and content. It's much too early to contemplate her leaving us. So if you have some good thoughts to spare today, please send them our way.
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Historic cat
This morning, our cat Dayna (seen in my userpic) was being very annoying. kitanzi finally got fed up and this conversation ensued:
kitanzi: Dayna, stop it. You're obnoxious!
autographedcat: And disliked.
kitanzi: You know that's true.
autographedcat: Yes, I do.
kitanzi: And apparently historical.
Dear lord, our cat is the reincarnation of John Adams.
kitanzi finally got fed up and this conversation ensued:kitanzi: Dayna, stop it. You're obnoxious!autographedcat: And disliked.kitanzi: You know that's true.autographedcat: Yes, I do.kitanzi: And apparently historical.Dear lord, our cat is the reincarnation of John Adams.
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My cat is weird....
Overheard just now in our house:
"Dayna, you cannot gain the knowledge of humans by eating their magazines!"
"Dayna, you cannot gain the knowledge of humans by eating their magazines!"
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Insane cat
I have concluded that Jenna is insane.
I reported earlier about Jenna's adventures with the fireplace. After finally giving her a bath and a couple of weeks of self-cleaning and shedding, she was starting to look almost normal again.
So, of course, I came home today to find that she had gotten into the fireplace again and was as grey as before, if not more. Of course, this time I had the necessary stuff on hand, so I got undressed and, with a helping hand fromtelynor's son, G., we gave the poor dear another bath.
She's hiding under the bed and refusing to talk to me now. I don't know when she'll ever be white again. And this weekend, I have to go and spend some time figuring out how to close off the fireplace.
Meanwhile, the cat is insane.
I reported earlier about Jenna's adventures with the fireplace. After finally giving her a bath and a couple of weeks of self-cleaning and shedding, she was starting to look almost normal again.
So, of course, I came home today to find that she had gotten into the fireplace again and was as grey as before, if not more. Of course, this time I had the necessary stuff on hand, so I got undressed and, with a helping hand from
telynor's son, G., we gave the poor dear another bath.She's hiding under the bed and refusing to talk to me now. I don't know when she'll ever be white again. And this weekend, I have to go and spend some time figuring out how to close off the fireplace.
Meanwhile, the cat is insane.
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Poor Sooty Kitty!
Last night after telynor left, we decided to go out and have a dinner out as we didn't feel like washing any dishes. We ended up at Famous Dave's Barbecue, where we had a massive plate of food. Upon returning, I walked into the bedroom, where I saw Jenna sitting on the bed obscured by shadows. To my amazement, when I flicked on the light, the shadows didn't go away!
Further investigation revealed that she had managed to get past the mesh screen protecting the fireplace and was now covered with soot! Our lovely white kitty was now an odd mottled grey!
I think she thinks she's in trouble. I'm trying hard not to wound her dignity by laughing too hard at her!
( Click her for pictures of the poor sootkitty )
telynor left, we decided to go out and have a dinner out as we didn't feel like washing any dishes. We ended up at Famous Dave's Barbecue, where we had a massive plate of food. Upon returning, I walked into the bedroom, where I saw Jenna sitting on the bed obscured by shadows. To my amazement, when I flicked on the light, the shadows didn't go away!Further investigation revealed that she had managed to get past the mesh screen protecting the fireplace and was now covered with soot! Our lovely white kitty was now an odd mottled grey!
I think she thinks she's in trouble. I'm trying hard not to wound her dignity by laughing too hard at her!
( Click her for pictures of the poor sootkitty )
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Kitty update
Jenna continues to settle in. She still spends a large portion of the time under the bed, but is starting to come out more and more. Dayna still hasn't quite gotten used to the idea, but now MOSTLY just glares at her, and is hissing less. Last night, they even spent some time on the same bed together.
( Picture of Dayna and Jenna )
I was really hoping this was the final acceptance, but alas, this morning Dayna pounced on her and chased her from the room. Two steps forward, one step back.
Jenna has gotten remarkably good at finding places to hide. Last night I couldn't find her again when coming home, but eventually found her inside the couch. (We have a double recliner love seat that was given to us byweirdsister's ex-husband before he moved away). If she keeps it up, I may yet have that nervous breakdown. :)
( Picture of Dayna and Jenna )
I was really hoping this was the final acceptance, but alas, this morning Dayna pounced on her and chased her from the room. Two steps forward, one step back.
Jenna has gotten remarkably good at finding places to hide. Last night I couldn't find her again when coming home, but eventually found her inside the couch. (We have a double recliner love seat that was given to us by
weirdsister's ex-husband before he moved away). If she keeps it up, I may yet have that nervous breakdown. :)
Update
I seem to have gotten into a nice roll of journaling lately. Some fluff, some content. I'll try and keep it up.
Jenna continues to adjust to living here. She spends a lot of time under the daybed in the living room, or under our bed in the bedroom, but she's started coming out and trying to be social when the mood strikes her. Dayna still thinks she's an intruder, but since the two cats both have the same reaction to confronting each other (that is, to run away), we're letting them sort each other out on their own terms.
Been fairly draggy all day, due to overnight shift last night. We had to put a new Ethernet card into one of our servers so it could be hooked into the private backdoor network. As this would bring down several of our affiliates webpages who rely on the content of this server, it needed to be done at off hours. So I came home early yesterday, took a nap, and then went over to the data centre around 1am to do the work.
It went very smoothly, andmaedbh7 kept me company on the phone for the trip there and back. I slept until noon this morning, then went into work for a half day. Came home and crashed out again.
See, that's the problem with trying to journal my daily life -- it's lots of boring days like that. Heck, most of them don't even have the "excitement" of a late night shift or anything useful like that. :)
Not much on tap this weekend. We're a bit cash tight until payday next Friday, so it'll probably be a low-key hang around the house day.
Jenna continues to adjust to living here. She spends a lot of time under the daybed in the living room, or under our bed in the bedroom, but she's started coming out and trying to be social when the mood strikes her. Dayna still thinks she's an intruder, but since the two cats both have the same reaction to confronting each other (that is, to run away), we're letting them sort each other out on their own terms.
Been fairly draggy all day, due to overnight shift last night. We had to put a new Ethernet card into one of our servers so it could be hooked into the private backdoor network. As this would bring down several of our affiliates webpages who rely on the content of this server, it needed to be done at off hours. So I came home early yesterday, took a nap, and then went over to the data centre around 1am to do the work.
It went very smoothly, and
maedbh7 kept me company on the phone for the trip there and back. I slept until noon this morning, then went into work for a half day. Came home and crashed out again.See, that's the problem with trying to journal my daily life -- it's lots of boring days like that. Heck, most of them don't even have the "excitement" of a late night shift or anything useful like that. :)
Not much on tap this weekend. We're a bit cash tight until payday next Friday, so it'll probably be a low-key hang around the house day.
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Brief Panic Attack
I got home from work today and promptly checked the answering machine. There was a message from the Cat Clinic asking how the new kitty was doing, and inviting me to call back. I made a note to myself to call back tomorrow, since it was after hours by that point, and went to actually see how Jenna was.
And I couldn't find her. Anywhere.
Now, Jenna's currently spending most of her time confined to the front part of the house, to allow her and Dayna to settle into each other's company gradually. So it's not as if there were copious places for her to hide, and I already knew where most of her favourite places were. And she wasn't in any of them.
So I went and looked in the bedroom area. Again, no Jenna.
At this point, I freaked out slightly, tearing through the house looking in the most implausible places. I mean, opening cabinets. Checking in the furnace closet (a door which is almost never opened). I even went outside and glanced around... having her get out would have been my greatest fear.
So, just about the time I'm about to become completely hysterical, I check under the bed in the bedroom for the fifth time. And for the first time, notice her, all the way back against the wall, her white fur blending perfectly with the wall. I pulled her out and hugged her tightly, a transgression for which I'm still not sure she's forgiven me for. :) But all is well, and she's just fine.
And I couldn't find her. Anywhere.
Now, Jenna's currently spending most of her time confined to the front part of the house, to allow her and Dayna to settle into each other's company gradually. So it's not as if there were copious places for her to hide, and I already knew where most of her favourite places were. And she wasn't in any of them.
So I went and looked in the bedroom area. Again, no Jenna.
At this point, I freaked out slightly, tearing through the house looking in the most implausible places. I mean, opening cabinets. Checking in the furnace closet (a door which is almost never opened). I even went outside and glanced around... having her get out would have been my greatest fear.
So, just about the time I'm about to become completely hysterical, I check under the bed in the bedroom for the fifth time. And for the first time, notice her, all the way back against the wall, her white fur blending perfectly with the wall. I pulled her out and hugged her tightly, a transgression for which I'm still not sure she's forgiven me for. :) But all is well, and she's just fine.
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Fighting the Loneliness
Our cat Dayna has always been a bit high strung and neurotic, but she had been getting increasingly clingy and needy with her requests for attention. We finally decided that she's probably lonely from not having other cats around (something she had for the first five years of her life). So Saturday morning, kitanzi and I went down to The Cat Clinic of Roswell to see what they had available for adoption.
( Close scruitiny and many adorable animals... )
kitanzi and I went down to The Cat Clinic of Roswell to see what they had available for adoption.( Close scruitiny and many adorable animals... )
Down days
Yesterday afternoon I got home from work feeling utterly exhausted -- to the point where I fell asleep in front of the TV within 15 minutes of turning it on. So I thought I'd go lie down for a nap until kitanzi got home. about 20 minutes later, she called me, asking if I'd be willing to come pick her up from work because she wasn't feeling well either.
Neither of us seems to be outright sick, but both feeling a bit under the weather, so we've taken it easy today. We did go to the library booksale, and picked up a small handful of books, including a half dozen Keith Laumer Retief books, which I've never actually read, and an AD&D Fiend Folio, a lovely book that usually sells for quite a bit, and they only wanted $1 for. Then we swung down to Roswell to check the Gafilk mailbox, and back home for relaxation.
We waited until six to officially decide not to attend the Atlanta housefilk tonight. Disappointing, as this marks the fourth in a row we've missed for one reason or another, but Gafilk is in one month, and we'll get to see everyone there. I hope everyone has a good time.
So, in leui of anything actually interesting to say, I'll succumb to the last resort of the helpless blogger
( Click here to see pictures of the cat... )
kitanzi got home. about 20 minutes later, she called me, asking if I'd be willing to come pick her up from work because she wasn't feeling well either.Neither of us seems to be outright sick, but both feeling a bit under the weather, so we've taken it easy today. We did go to the library booksale, and picked up a small handful of books, including a half dozen Keith Laumer Retief books, which I've never actually read, and an AD&D Fiend Folio, a lovely book that usually sells for quite a bit, and they only wanted $1 for. Then we swung down to Roswell to check the Gafilk mailbox, and back home for relaxation.
We waited until six to officially decide not to attend the Atlanta housefilk tonight. Disappointing, as this marks the fourth in a row we've missed for one reason or another, but Gafilk is in one month, and we'll get to see everyone there. I hope everyone has a good time.
So, in leui of anything actually interesting to say, I'll succumb to the last resort of the helpless blogger
( Click here to see pictures of the cat... )
Random musing
First of all, happy birthday to the sublime catsittingstill on her natal anniversary. I'm still entirely convinced that Cat is not strictly human, but somehow a Tolkien elf who never passed into the West, but at any rate, we're damn glad to have her around.
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I adore Mark Morford. Sometimes he goes a bit over the top, but i love the sensibility that anchors his work. I especially liked column today. I could have written the following about myself:
The truth is, I've never been entirely comfortable with "guy things". Most of my close personal friends are female. I enjoy "chick flicks". I cry over sentimental things. I find most of the concerns of the "average male" to be banal. I often wonder if there wasn't some sort of mixup in the Souls Routing department, and somewhere out there is a very tomboyish girl who enjoys auto repair and football who was supposed to end up in this body. Something to think over.
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Dayna is definitely feeling much better this morning, and back to her old friendly self. And I got a voice mail from the vet on her blood work from last week, confirming that she's negative for FIV and feline leukemia. This doesn't remotely surprise me, since she's never been outside a day in her life, but it's still reassuring to know her health is in top shape.
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Rejoined the Columbia House DVD club for another set of nearly free DVDs (seven for the price of two, essentially). Picked up Willy Wonka And the Chocolate Factory, Harold and Maude, Sense and Sensibility, The Englisman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Schoolhouse Rock, Forrest Gump, and the amusing Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt film What Women Want. Also picked up the Matthew Broderick remake of The Music Man, because, let's face it, I'm curious. It takes a lot of guts to step into a part that is so firmly and universally associated with one actor, in this case the late, great Robert Preston. I admit that Harold Hill is a part I've always wanted to do on stage myself. And of course, I got Pirates of the Caribbean because it rocks and stuff.
We didn't actually watch any of these last night, opting for The Daily Show and the last part of the sex in the 20th century documentary that was stacked up on the TiVo. TiVo good. I like the TiVo.
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Almost no one wants to ask me questions? The poll is still open!
catsittingstill on her natal anniversary. I'm still entirely convinced that Cat is not strictly human, but somehow a Tolkien elf who never passed into the West, but at any rate, we're damn glad to have her around.--
I adore Mark Morford. Sometimes he goes a bit over the top, but i love the sensibility that anchors his work. I especially liked column today. I could have written the following about myself:
"I don't watch NASCAR or "WWE Raw" or "The Man Show." I don't read a lot of Maxim or ESPN Magazine or Sporting News nor frequent Gold's Gym with a cadre of thick muscled dudes named Rick or Tony who stand over me and spot my bench presses with a lot of c'mon dude you can do it pump one more rep yeah yeah yeah, just before we all high five and go out for pizza and beer and talk about SportsCenter and the crazy shopping habits/frustrating fellatio inhibitions of our wives.
I do not spend endless hours of every weekend out in the garage rebuilding my rusty old '67 'Stang. I do not grill giant slabs of beef ribs on the Weber every night. I do not reshingle the house or wear khaki Dockers or pound pitchers of Bud Light at O'Shaunessey's during the Final Four. Maybe I should. But I don't.
In fact, I engage in few stereotypical manly guy things largely because I live in the City and enjoy a wickedly urban and decidedly lubricious lifestyle, and tend to find many traditionally "guy" activities to be sort of unfulfilling and uninteresting and occasionally sort of dorky and faux macho and sadly devoid of divine sensuality and intellectual mystery and really good booze. But whatever. That's just me."
The truth is, I've never been entirely comfortable with "guy things". Most of my close personal friends are female. I enjoy "chick flicks". I cry over sentimental things. I find most of the concerns of the "average male" to be banal. I often wonder if there wasn't some sort of mixup in the Souls Routing department, and somewhere out there is a very tomboyish girl who enjoys auto repair and football who was supposed to end up in this body. Something to think over.
--
Dayna is definitely feeling much better this morning, and back to her old friendly self. And I got a voice mail from the vet on her blood work from last week, confirming that she's negative for FIV and feline leukemia. This doesn't remotely surprise me, since she's never been outside a day in her life, but it's still reassuring to know her health is in top shape.
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Rejoined the Columbia House DVD club for another set of nearly free DVDs (seven for the price of two, essentially). Picked up Willy Wonka And the Chocolate Factory, Harold and Maude, Sense and Sensibility, The Englisman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Schoolhouse Rock, Forrest Gump, and the amusing Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt film What Women Want. Also picked up the Matthew Broderick remake of The Music Man, because, let's face it, I'm curious. It takes a lot of guts to step into a part that is so firmly and universally associated with one actor, in this case the late, great Robert Preston. I admit that Harold Hill is a part I've always wanted to do on stage myself. And of course, I got Pirates of the Caribbean because it rocks and stuff.
We didn't actually watch any of these last night, opting for The Daily Show and the last part of the sex in the 20th century documentary that was stacked up on the TiVo. TiVo good. I like the TiVo.
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Almost no one wants to ask me questions? The poll is still open!
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Getting the cat repaired
As I mentioned in a previous post, our kitty Dayna had never gotten spayed for some reason in the first five years of her life. (This is, I must confess, partially my fault for not insisting on it being a high priority in the budget back *before* K. and I split up, but anyway...) So this morning, I took her down to the Cat Clinic to be repaired.
They called me at about 3pm to tell me that she was awake and alert and doing well, and could come home after 5pm. So I went down to get her and bring her home. She spent most of the time between then and now sulking in the bedroom closet, but she's come out to grouchily inform us that she's not at all pleased with the state of the world or her place in it.
But once she heals up, I think she'll be much happier. She was so miserable, poor dear. And we will certainly sleep better at night without the caterwauling cries for a man, any man, to come and satisfy her need! :)
They called me at about 3pm to tell me that she was awake and alert and doing well, and could come home after 5pm. So I went down to get her and bring her home. She spent most of the time between then and now sulking in the bedroom closet, but she's come out to grouchily inform us that she's not at all pleased with the state of the world or her place in it.
But once she heals up, I think she'll be much happier. She was so miserable, poor dear. And we will certainly sleep better at night without the caterwauling cries for a man, any man, to come and satisfy her need! :)