Lazy Saturday

I'm planning on spending the day reading through this binder of applications for WAC - I'm on a jury for one of their grants (can't say which...) and it's pretty cool. Never done this before. Monday is the jury meeting (all day). I've read through some of the apps, but today I'll spend all day doing so. Reading, relaxing, and hangin out with the new kitties. Tough day ahead.

Now let's just keep that heat (in my un-AC house) at bay...

Speaking of kitties, here's some pics of them! (for those who aren't my Facebook friend yet).
Speaking of Facebook, that tends to take some of my time away now, although NOT nearly as much as others. I try to only spend about 15 minutes a day on there. I'm not big into finding every single person I've every rubbed shoulders with in my lifetime. The applications are what make it fun, but there are SO many, you could spend a lifetime just going through those. I use it for what it is, and that's about it.

On with the kitties! First four are Basil, the last is Cora. You can't tell how small she is here, but she's tiny! And yes, I don't have any with both of them in it, so it looks like ONE cat instead of two. Trust me, there are two little scamps running about.

More kitty news!

Second night was MUCH better. They're much more relaxed around us and the house. Cora slept at our feet pretty much all night (she's a blanket cat - loves her blankies!). Basil was exploring, checking out the windows, watching outside, playing with cat-toys on the floor. And sleeping on the floor. Only once (at about 4:30am) did he suddenly get a little hyper and bounce around on us - but less licking than the night before (thank God!).

They're so cute! I miss them here at work. Damn that softball game tonight! I won't be home till 10pm!

New members of the Household

Well, we did it.
We went to D'Arcy's Arc yesterday and came back with not one, but two kitties!

They're brother and sister, Basil and Cora (their original names at the shelter were Bruncle and Connie, but they didn't fit...although Bruncle was a composite name for Brother-Uncle, because they were found together...with kittens...and it was highly suspicious that he was the father. Sick little incestuous kitties...heh!).

Anyways, they're adorable. If I had a damn digital camera, I'd post their little faces here. They're both tabbies, dark grey with black bands. Cora is a little dwarf kitty (teeny, tiny little body!) and Basil is a big oaf of a kitty. Both very affectionate. Although last night, they (especially Basil) were a wee bit TOO affectionate! Basil kept trying to lick my face and arms and neck and burrow under the blankets! Kept me up half the night, little stinker. I thought we bought a kitty, not a dog! First night for them, and lots to see. They should settle down in a couple of days.

Introducing them to the house is like introducing goldfish to an aquarium. A little at a time. Not that we don't want them the run of the house. They kinda freaked when we brought them home. Too much space!!! (compared to the shelter rooms they were living in). They're getting comfortable with upstairs, and slowly making their way downstairs. Cuties.

They're a little younger than we were looking for (they're both approximately a year old), so still very hyper and excitable. Well, Basil is. Cora is much more laid back. It's so cool to see their little personalities!

Okay, back to work. Cleaning up the house, and re-cat proofing the place! We've lived with lazy, fat, old cats for far too long! They didn't care about jumping up on counters and stuff. Plus, they knew they're boundaries. These youngins are just learning.

Cuties.

CrackBook

Well, I finally did it. I joined Facebook.

Broke down. Had to, really. Badgered from all angles, positions, pinned down I was! Also, we at the Winnipeg International Writers Festival just put up our THIN AIR Facebook group page, so I needed to get on there to check it out and help monitor it.

Yeah. That's it.

Man, there is just too much to do on that Facebook. Haven't figured out half of it yet. Maybe 0.01% so far. I just DON'T have the time to devote to tooling around on it. I spent about two hours just setting it up, looking for a few people I knew were on there, and trying to just figure out how the thing worked. Not too bad. I can see how people spend HOURS on there.

I also totally agree with workplaces BLOCKING Crackbook. Makes sense to me!

Tanya and I have been shopping around for new kitties for our home. We've checked some dossiers out on line (some shelters have them posted). We'll take a good look this weekend. Who know? Maybe the house will have the pitter-patter of tiny paws sooner than I thought!

Empty House

Our little kitty is in kitty heaven, and the house seems so quiet.

We pushed the appointment back by a day, so that we could have one more night with her, which was tearful, but very nice. Saturday morning we took her in, and Tanya and I spent the rest of the day walking the sun, and then getting a few giggles in at an afternoon movie matinee of Ratatoullie (quite funny). Evening spent with friends capped of a warm (sometimes sorrowful) Saturday.

Today is lazy day. Cleaning up, hanging out. I've got a softball game tonight, and Tanya's coming with me to watch me play and hang out.
This will only be my third game of the season!! I'm waaaaay out of practice (not that i was a stellar player anyways). But two of the games I was supposed to play in got rained out.
Should be a fun game tonight, probably with some drinks and hanging out later on tonight.

Feeling Helpless

My cat is dying, and there's nothing I can do about it.

This is the place in life where one asks oneself, "do I consider pets to be disposal?" The answer for me, is no.

I don't call my cat "baby" or myself "daddy" (I think that's silly). But when you've spent 13 years living with the little furry being (who squawks hello to you, who runs to the door and greets you when you come home, who tactfully and purposefully ignores you when you really want to play with her (that's an art), who nestles in your lap while you're watching tv, or who nestles next to your feet or stomach when you're sleeping), it's hard to feel heartless.

Spot likes beer!

Spot was Tanya's cat, barely a year old when I first petted her furry head. She started to get to know me when her owner and I started dating. A year later Tanya and I moved in together, and suddenly Spot had a new roommate. She has always been a bit aloof, more independent than our other two cats (Exie and Cassie). But she has her charms and her ways. She's cuddly when she wants to be, and affectionate in her own way. Over the years she's grown much more affectionate.

Mine was the first lap she ever sat on, so I guess that makes me special in her eyes.

After we had to put her sister Cassie down last October, Tanya and I hoped to have Spot for a couple of more years. Now it looks like it will only be a few months.

She's suffering from kidney failure. Last week she had started to barely touch her food. We took her into the vet last Thursday, got some pills for a bladder infection and got the bad news about the kidney failure, but with the hope that she might still last a year or so.
Well, despite the medication, she has failed to eat anything. I put out a seven course dinner for her every morning, and refresh some of the dishes every evening. Barely a nibble here, a nibble there. And then she throws it up a few hours later. Her system can't digest anything anymore.
She's wasting away, and there's nothing we can do.

Early this morning, around 2 am, I woke up and found her in Tanya's studio, lying in her favourite window. She was barely moving, so tired from the heat, so weary from lack of food. I sat and petted her, and couldn't help but cry, knowing that she was going to die soon.

We've made an appointment for Friday evening to put her to sleep. It's hard to think she'll be gone in two days. I came home from work today and just sat with her. I can't think about it too much. Even writing this is hard. But it's for the best for her.

Pictures from last Christmas:

Spot finds stocking.............Spot opens stocking

Spot finds catnip! .............Spot plays with ribbon!

Spot with loot...................Spot under tree

Spot napping after Christmas morning