iShiver

Somehow, last week it was autumn and we were breaking out the knitted scarves, airing out the sweaters that were in storage, and generally enjoying a little extra coolness in the air. And now this week it's HELLO I AM WINTER AND I WILL FREEZE YOU SOLID!

Of course I defy winter's efforts to solidify me into a human-shaped icicle because I am in constant motion. I shiver. Non-stop. All day. Possibly also in my sleep. I'm not sure about that but it could explain why I wake up still so tired - I've been busy shivering all night long. It'd be awfully nice if all this perpetual motion could somehow be harnessed into an energy source and applied to my utility rates or even considered a good cardio workout and contribute to improving my overall fitness but I suspect it's more likely to result in higher electric bills and/or pulled muscles.

I know, I know - there are many who live in much colder climates than I and they get through their winters just fine. Maybe I'm just a big whiner but I think it's all relative. I also think those people have heat, and insulation in the walls of their homes. Ooooo...and I bet they drive around in real cars with doors? (Golf carts?  Cute and practical for all but a few months each year. These months.)

I'm cold at work too because I spend the time standing behind a cash register a few feet from wide open doors facing the beachfront and those errr....."brisk ocean breezes". The other day someone wandered in and enquired if we had heat in the store? Ummm...do you not see me here bundled up in multiple layers of wool knitwear and fleece, and still, shivering?

I'm going to end this little rant now because as I sit here keying in these words my hands are getting colder and colder. I think the remedy for my icy fingers is the warm, furry belly of a certain feline currently close proximity - I'm just not sure how she's going to feel about that!

Heeeeerre kitty kitty.....

The Paw of Doom

Which signals the break of dawn (also known as my alarm clock!!!) looks like this:

I knew I couldn't be the only one. And clearly, this guy understands:

Miaow Miaow does not approve

Living in a tourist destination does mean frequent interaction with a broad spectrum of the island's seasonal visitors, not just during the work day, but sometimes at home too. The house next door to mine on one side is owned by a very large family. During the fall and winter it sits vacant for months on end, and all is peaceful and quiet. But starting in the late spring and throughout the summer it's occupied for a constantly changing variety of vacationers as each branch of the family takes their turn at the house. And after almost ten years, whether or not they know me, I recognize and remember them. And not necessarily in a good way.

Today was my day off so I slept in later than usual, and then finally rose to enjoy a lovely sunny morning out on the balcony, sipping coffee and knitting, and then after a bit, slowly watering the plants while the cat mooched around nearby, purring contentedly. 

Then suddenly, in that ear-piercing, glass-shattering voice that only small girl children can produce....

"LOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!!!!

MIAOW MIAOW!!!!!!!!!"

The personage so addressed took that as a cue to dive under the stairs and take refuge far behind the house. Can you blame her?

We do not approve of this sort of behavior. 

Make it go away.  Now.

In my next life

I think I want to be her...

(Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........)

This one does not stress about forming grammatical sentences in Spanish or memorizing ethical theorists, worry about whether or not someone will call, or even waste one moment thinking about holes in walls, stained carpets or dripping faucets.  Sure there's a few basic hygiene issues to get past, but on the whole???

Fresh food and water delivered daily, shelter provided free of charge, love and affection on demand, and endless naps in the warm sun.

Yeah, I think I could handle that.

When the world dishes out weirdness

I mean really - I know why I'm hanging out in the kitchen. But unless my cat has suddenly developed a hankering for oatmeal cookies I can't imagine what Miss Thing is doing here or what she suddenly finds so fascinating about my oven.

Just a few minutes earlier my land line phone rang and get this - I actually answered it.  I've got almost everyone trained to either call me on my cell phone or email me at this point but there's still a few holdouts.  And how am I rewarded for getting my deadbeat tired tushie up off the couch and picking up the phone?  By a cough.  Seriously.  Whatever happened to good old fashioned breathing? Noooo...this one hacks up a lung into the phone and then just hangs up. Thanks, I needed that.

I've been neglecting the blog and many other things I'd much rather be doing because of one specific project that is sucking up far more of my time than I'd like. Between that, some course deadlines, the Hallmark Holiday, and an upcoming b-day (that we will discuss some other time) I'm feeling a little squeezed and not in the best of moods.  But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and its name is Stitches West.

Warped

No, for once this is not about me. (You there...in the back row...I heard you sniggering! Cut that out!) One of the perks of island life is close proximity to the ocean. 'Cause, you know, it's all around you.  But one of the downsides is that life can be very damp.  My little shabby not-so-chic cottage by the sea is a fine example. 

Even when it hasn't rained during the night, in the morning the exterior is sopping wet, the balcony railings dripping, and the wood saturated.  If it's sunny, the morning light hits the roof and you can see the steam rising.  If it's breezy, the wind strips away some of the liquid.  But if neither of these occur, it just stays wet all day. Bleh.

Inside isn't much better.  I learned after the first year to keep my bed several inches away from the wall (about one cat width, as we measure it here), allowing airflow prevents mold from building up between the bed and the wall.  Yes, I realize how disgusting that sounds, thankyouverymuch. I invest heavily in all sorts of products to try and battle mold & mildew, the kind with the little crystals seems to work best. I run fans, open windows, leave lights on, you name it.

I looked into buying one of those electric dehumidifiers and you know what I found?  They are kinda pricey!  I've used a humidifier before, years ago when I lived in a completely different climate (obviously), and somehow I thought it would be much the same in price.  Apparently not.  I know, I know, there are practical reasons why it costs more, the device works differently, I get that.  But just take a minute and think about it - it actually costs more to suck water out of the air than it does to put it in! Interesting, eh? (Or maybe that's just me.)

This year there seems to be a new twist.  Suddenly, closet and cabinet doors are not closing properly.  I can only guess that the damp has swelled the wood a bit, because the latches are working, they just don't line up quite as precisely as they used to.  They're just a little bit off. (Again...you in the back row...quit your sniggering!)

I first discovered this when I walked into the bathroom and found the cat nestled comfortably in a stack of (formerly) clean white towels inside the linen cabinet.  The shelf below bore further evidence of her explorations.  At the time, I assumed I had left the cabinet open, kicked myself, and then kicked the cat out of the cabinet. Kitties are not allowed inside cabinets and most definitely not in closets.  My closets are scary places, and as much as an adventurous feline might like to go in there, the chances of getting it back out are not so good.  My bedroom closet is bad enough, but the one in my living room has been likened to Fibber McGee's closet.

However, I am not THAT absent-minded (okay, back row, this is your last warning! Don't make me pull this car over!) and repeat occurrences led me to investigate further.  I noticed that when I closed the cabinet door as usual, the interior latch didn't quite "catch" and left that way, would pop open shortly after.  Mystery solved.  Thus far, applying a little more force to the cabinet door seems to ensure that it stays closed, and the contents safe from curious kitties.

Then the other night I was tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep. I had a lot on my mind and it was one of those nights when every little sound catches your attention. I could hear the bedside clock ticking, a bathroom washcloth dripping, the kitchen refrigerator humming, and all of it drove me nuts.  I could also hear my cat, mooching around the living room, playing with this toy and that. (Or so I thought.) Not uncommon and not objectionable, experience has taught me that unless she is within sight, it's when she gets really quiet that something really bad is about to happen.  The really bad is usually made evident by a sudden really loud noise, and this time was no exception.  Just as I was finally drifting off....CRASH!

When a creature that small makes that big of a ruckus, it must be investigated immediately.  However, the investigation will go much more smoothly if lights are turned on and eyeglasses are located. I'm just sayin'. Having done that and gathered my wits about me I ventured into the living room to discover that the door to my living room closet was open, and while I lay in bed a certain fluffy feline had boldly gone where none had gone before.  Her foray into the mysterious depths of my living room closet could have gone on all night, had she been able to leap from the upper shelf without bringing the contents of the shelf down with her.  I'm sure she will learn from her mistake, and future stealth missions will be attempted.

For that night, I placed a heavy object in front of the door. One that was too much for even a determined little critter like mine to budge.  And in the morning I could see that the problem with this closet is the same as the cabinet, and I'll need to shove it closed just a little harder. Okay I can handle that.  But here's the thing - I've lived here for several years now, and this is the first winter that this phenomenon has taken place.  And this particular winter has not been any more wet than any other, in fact, we have not even started the rainy season yet.  Traditionally the bulk of our rainy days occur in February and March.  So I have to wonder, will this get worse?

Living alone as I do, there is no one to question the placing of a brick in front of a closet door, or bungee cords on cabinet handles.  It's purely up to me to decide if I wish to endure these minor inconveniences in order to keep Destruct-O-Kitty from wreaking havoc inside these places. Because I can only think of one other thing I could do, and I'm not sure I want to go there, but if there's no other way...baby latches.

As I've said so many times before, this is a really, really, microscopically small town. Even if I walk into the hardware store wearing a skin tight top and jeans, the purchase of just one such item could have me preggers throughout the community by nightfall. So if I do this, I shall have to either buy them online, or pick some up when I'm overtown.

The irony of a child-free person like me shopping for and installing devices intended to prevent babies from getting into places they shouldn't does not escape me.  Yes, thank you I get it. But would it be too much to ask for a dry winter this year?

Oh yeah, that would mean water rationing this summer...

Dammit, I just cannot win.

Curtain call

So how did I do?  Well yes, obviously I succeeded in the goal of posting every day.  And I am proud of that.  But did I actually contribute something worthwhile each day or was I "clogging up the internet for the sake of endurance" to quote the organizer of NaBloPoMo? 

Please keep in mind, I'm not saying videos of cute puppies and kittens aren't worthwhile, 'cause you know me better than that!  I mean, whose day doesn't get better when you add some of these:

(I think some people need 'em more than others and I'm not naming names but you know who you are...hmmm?)

Looking back at last year's NaBloPoMo I think it was easier for me because I was so new to blogging, pretty much anything was potential blog fodder.  Now I have to stop and ask myself, "Did I already talk about that?" or wonder "Does anybody really want to know about that?" You get the idea.

I am quite sure that I will never become one of those people who blog every day of the year.  To those who do - I salute you.  Because my life is just not that darn interesting (at least I don't think so) and any attempt I might make for daily blogging beyond one month would result in being one of those people who blogs about the tiniest minutiae of my days such as what I ate for each meal and when I last washed the dishes. Blehhh.

I think in the long run I'm better off aiming for quality over quantity.  And I think you'll be happier too.  To celebrate successfully completing NaBloPoMo, I might even take a few days off from blogging.  I've got some speed knitting to crank out and a few other tasks this week. So for now, I will take a bow...and exit, stage left.

Away for the day

On the mainland taking my statistics final and then cruising the aisles of Office Depot, Target, and Trader Joe's.  Tomorrow I'll tell you all about it.  But I thought I'd leave you someone to keep you company while I'm gone:

Doritos + Cat Yodeling = Win!

Most people know me well enough to know that my interest in Super Bowl weekend is limited to watching Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. That, plus the Kitty Half Time Show, usually does it for me.

This year, Doritos has put together a contest offering folks a chance to have their commercial aired during the Super Bowl.  Contestants upload their videos which are available for viewing for a few months, and then in early January the five finalist videos will be posted for public voting. 

And still you ask - why do I care?  Because our favorite cat-hair covered engineer has chosen to give it a shot! I'll let him tell you:

As Paul recently mentioned, his video is doing fairly well, it's even ahead of a video that shows just boobs. (And the idea that we might actually live in a world where cat yodeling gets more attention than boobs just cracks me up.) But every person that watches his video helps!

So to see this award-winning cinematic triumph, go here. And if you are completely unfamiliar with the wonder that is cat yodeling and thinking, "who the hell is this guy in the red shirt and what's the deal with the cats?", then please check out An Engineer's Guide to Cats!

I am NOT fat!

First of all - that is a horrid, misleading picture. Just taking the photograph is bad enough, but posting it on the internet? Truly unthinkable! Who do you think you are - one those nasty paparazzi that sneak up and grab the most unflattering shot possible and sell it to the highest bidder? I have already been in touch with both PETA and IDA, their legal representatives will be contacting you shortly.

Second - I do not know what that woman was thinking, greeting me with the words, "Hi there fat kitty!" Besides the obvious pot calling kettle black issue, that was most rude and unmannerly, clearly she is completely wack-a-doodle. This only serves to reinforce my belief that strangers cannot be trusted and should not be allowed on the property. I expect your cooperation in this matter.



I am not amused. There will be consequences.

Nothing to sneeze at...

in this house that has not already been sneezed upon in the last few days. Seriously.

I have sneezed:

• in the shower (no biggie)
  
• on a sink full of dirty dishes (again, no biggie)
  
• on a drainer full of clean dishes (dammit!)
• in bed (naturally)
  
• on my Statistics notes (significantly)
• on one of my Ethics textbooks (morally)
  
• on my knitting (more on that tomorrow)
  
• and on the cat (mrrroowww!!)

On that last one, I can sort of see why she'd be so indignant - if I had to use my tongue to clean myself then I suppose suddenly being showered with people germs would be offensive.  But when you factor in that this is a critter who regularly licks her own butt -- well, kinda hard to understand where she gets off being so freaking fastidious, isn't it?

While I've been staggering around swilling tea and scattering snotty kleenexes (pretty picture, eh?) the grade for the Spanish midterm I took a few weeks ago was finally posted. Much to my surprise I got a B+.  Apparently I do not suck at learning languages as much as I thought.  Or perhaps the combination of vacation vocabulary acquired from trips to Mexico ("Un vino tinto por favor!") and useful work-related phrases acquired from previous co-workers ("¿Usted quiere la mantequilla en eso?") finally added up to something useful.  Either way, it's very encouraging and certainly nothing to sneeze at!

I thig I hab a code id by node

It sucks but on the degree of suckage I'm only giving it about a 5. Because while the timing isn't great, it really could be so much worse.  I'm on a break in between one exam and the next so coming down with a crappy cold at the beginning of this week means that by the time I'm ready to head back overtown and take the dreaded statistics final I'll be back to normal.

But I'm seriously phoning it in on today's post.  I should have done it earlier while I still had two brain cells I could line up next to each other. It's too late now - I just need to slurp down some Top Ramen, take a couple Nyquil and toddle off to bed early tonight.

So here's my suggestion - - take two of these and call me in the morning.

Socks in the sun

I am very careful with my growing collection of hand-knit socks so all of them, even the ones made from yarns considered to be machine washable, get a nice gentle soak in a basin full of lavender baby shampoo suds and then hung up to dry.

This time of the year I only get sunlight on the ends of my balcony, so in the morning I can hang my freshly washed socks up in one corner:

Where they helpfully drip onto the plants and get to enjoy the ocean view at the same time.

Then a few hours later, when they are done dripping and angle of the sun has changed so that area is in the shade, I shift them over to the other end of the balcony.

And much later in the afternoon, I went outside to take my nice dry socks down and found this:

All together now...Awwwww, that's so cute! 

Of course - I had to wait to put away the socks, I mean, what kind of heartless person could disturb that perfect scene?

I'm going to end this post with an end of the day Saturday Sky:

Another contender for the Oval Office

Something to consider between now and November 4th:

So - - have you stimulated the economy today?

P is for Prima

Near the end of 2003 after years of giving my time and attention to other people's cats, I decided I wanted a tiny kitten of my own to raise.

I walked into the Catalina Island Humane Society and it was love at first sight:

She had me at "mew".  Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, all big ears and a little brown button nose, when we met she was too young to go home with me right away so I visited her every afternoon, giving both of us time to get acquainted. The volunteer at the shelter named her "Primera", because she was the first of her litter to do everything - truly the leader of the pack.  I decided to shorten the name to "Prima", somehow instinctively knowing that she would need a name that could be whipped out quickly.

Once she was home with me, we bonded instantly and she was such a sweet cuddley girl:

Whose cuteness was overwhelming at times:

Which made up for the times when she was not so sweet or cute!

(Yes, as a matter of fact she IS hanging from a curtain rod by her teeth)

Prima's a big girl now:

No surface in my home is too high for her - tall bookcases, top of refrigerator, even the bedroom door - she "runs" up the front of it and perches on top.

But she's still kind of silly!

Prima loves helping make the bed, she's just not very good at it.  Her mortal enemy is the vacuum cleaner but strangely - she loves being lint-rollered.  Prima has an extensive collection of toys that blink, buzz, chirp, and chatter to keep her entertained but in classic cat style a brown paper bag or a cardboard box is all it takes to really make her happy.

Prima is definitely a prissy princess - she likes everything just so and no changes to the routine. Fortunately for her, with all the changes in my life, I haven't done much traveling in the past few years and I'm home a lot. 

Which in her mind means that I am at her beck & call, available to perform such services as she requests.  One of my most important jobs is turning on the bathroom faucet whenever her majesty decides a few sips of fresh water is desired. I once neglected to explain this vital task to the person who was taking care of her in my absence.  Apparently Prima got the message across as she stood on the edge of the sink, leaned down and delivered her best, "What are you stoopid?" expectant look.  A priceless moment, lost due to lack of a video camera!

Prima is an indoor only kitty, but I've no concern that she'll ever get too chunky as she ages.  She'll be 5 years old in a few weeks and toys or no toys, she still romps like she's 5 months old sometimes.  She zooms around, chasing phantom prey and getting plenty of exercise.  She also practices yoga frequently:

I am incredibly blessed to have her in my life. Whatever I may have given up - indoor plants, lit candles, small fragile knick-knacks - it's all worth it for what she gives me.  And no matter how old she gets, she's still my baby.

Life in the hotbox

This weekend was one of the paybacks for having a slice of ocean view from my teeny little apartment.  Lots of windows to see out of also means lots of windows to let in the blistering sunlight. On any normal summer day it's uncomfortably hot, but in 90+ degree weather it's a stinky sweaty hell.  I wanted to work on adding a section to someone's traveling scarf, but I was afraid I might accidentally felt it!  

I started making a few changes that I hope will make my home a bit more bearable this summer.  There's only so much I can do with what I have, especially considering I'm only a renter, I don't own the property so there's a limit to how much of my own moola I'm going to put into the place.  I have, however, been getting a great deal of use from the copy of Home Improvement 1-2-3, my mother gave me a while back.

Does a great job of propping open the doublehung window, don't you think?

K is for Kittens

I had a few ideas for this letter of the alphabet but in honor of a dear friend's newest family member, I've decided that K is for Kittens!

All three of these little darlings are alumni of CIHS - the Catalina Island Humane Society.  And yes, all of them did eventually find loving homes. 

But as wonderful as kittens are - adult cats are also great pets.  Many of the more mature animals languish in shelters, unable to find homes because they don't have the quick and easy appeal of the babies. So if you are looking to adopt a cat, please keep an open mind!

A week in a blink

Sheesh I've slacked off on the blogging.  I can't believe that last post was almost a week ago.  Lo, how far we have fallen since the heady days of NaBloPoMo.

On the one hand I really haven't been getting out and about much lately.  But that would fail as the full excuse, because even when I'm home all day - something's happening.  Less interesting and less photogenic, but something. Cats do cute stuff, various objects are knit on, and life spits out random bits of weirdness.

But a nice long juicy post will have to wait for another day or two. I have to go overtown tomorrow to take a Statistics exam and I'm so thrilled I just wanna hurl.  I'd have to say that and the dental appointment later in the week are just about equal on the joy-meter.

So I'm going to chase the cat around for a bit and then settle down in front of the latest episode of Bones and cast on something to take on the boat tomorrow. ('Cause really, a bad boat ride gets even longer if I don't have something to distract me.)  I'll try to be a good little blogger after I get this stuff behind me, but in the meanwhile, if you haven't already seen it, check out one of my current faves - An Engineer's Guide to Cats.  Enjoy!

C is for Cookie

My wild child and one half of the Freaky Feline Tag Team. (You'll get the other one much later in the year!)

Cookie arrived on the scene about five years ago.  From inside my house, it sounded like a 30lb. monster was running across the roof, but when I went looking I found a skinny scrap of black & white cat peering down at me.  Not a kitten, definitely an adult, but a young one! It started with an open can of tuna, and over many months evolved into a tentative trust.  Supposedly it's not possible to socialize an adult feral but I wasn't willing to accept that. And it's a damn good thing.

We've come along way since then.  She's been fixed - that's what the little tip missing off one ear signifies.  It doesn't hurt her at all, and I think it gives her a bit of a rakish look.  She's been given the opportunity to live inside and rejected it.  Some critters are just happier when they can roam at will, and she doesn't really roam far anymore. Cookie has her own little house, a snug little wooden box, with her bed, food, & water.

She patrols the property regularly, and any visiting cats are sent away licking their wounds and with their tails between their legs.  Mess with Cookie and get your furry butt handed to you on a platter! (Okay, so she never really learned to play well with others.)  She's happiest on fair weather days, when her people come outside and spend time with her.  And if she feels she is not receiving enough attention, she is not above banging on the door or blockading the stairs to demand it.  Unfortunately, she also lies like a rug and can put on an Oscar-worthy performance so one never knows if she's just spent half an hour snuggling and purring with someone else!

Her psychic kitty powers are finely tuned to kitchen sounds, she can sense a can of tuna being opened from a mile away and always cleans her plate.  Which is perhaps why she has a bit more of a "womanly figure" than she used to. But she's still spry enough to terrorize lizards and chase after birdies, recently adding herself to the Audobon Society's Most Wanted list by presenting a little yellow feathered trophy. (Which was a nice change from burrito wrappers and other bits from the trash.) If no suitable prey happens along - she's willing to make do with a tennis ball, toy mousie, or the occasional leaf.  Cookie's story is far from over, she's still evolving & changing and still has much to learn. But as she continues to feel safe and secure she becomes more socialized and every day is a new adventure in her life!

One little knitting update - on Monday morning I finished my Binary Cable Hat for Hat Attack: 

And it went out in that day's mail to travel all the way to Cal in New Zealand. Hope she likes Fuschia!

Studying solo...or not

I've updated my school progress bars, which included adding a new one for Literacy in Elementary Education.  It's not a subject I'd ever in a million years envisioned myself studying and I'm quite happy to admit that my sole motivation is that it's worth 6 upper level credits.  I also got cute, and linked the subject names to a little more info, like the course outline or syllabus, just in cast someone happened to be interested.  (I know, highly unlikely.)

Later this week I'm going overtown to take another final exam, and that should put an end to another subject - Research Methods in Psychology.  This is different because instead of being an online course with regular assignments and quizzes to submit, it's just one big whompin' exam.  Literacy in Elementary Education is the same, one single exam for the whole enchilada. I mean, I do have an exam content outline, and recommended study materials - at least two or three textbooks, but that's it.  It's really the ultimate independent study.

Sometimes I wonder how different this would be if I was able to communicate with other people who were taking the same classes, or studying for the same exams.  Would that make it better? Or easier?  Over the holidays a few of my old friends were in town and referred to me as "being a hermit" and I'm betting there's plenty more people thinking that and not saying it.  I know I spend a lot of time alone, but it seems unavoidable because aside from the fact that I interact with less people now because I'm not working, really, most people aren't interested in talking about what's in my head most days.  

If you'd like to talk about what a politically astute artist and survivor David is and whether or not he could be considered to have been powerful enough to snub the power of the papacy - I'm game.  If you can help me remember how to find the least squares regression line or understand the difference between top down and bottom up processing - great!  If you have any thoughts on the Gestalt theory of object perception and whether their principles  have any contemporary relevance, I'd really like to hear them.  (Gettin' the idea yet?  I can bore people spitless in no time flat.)

As much as I'm used to going it alone, I do have one study partner:

She is very attentive:

And occasionally quite helpful:

Okay, I agree. The right answer is "E - none of the above".