Wakey-Wakey
Feels like it happens later and later each year. Is that my fault, that the natural struggle against hibernation is pushing me slowly towards my old pattern of the usual Northerner type of SAD, down in winter and up in summer? It seems really unlikely to be thrilled about the dripping, deadening heat of August. At least while my body is thickly padded. But I'm sad to be less and less able to throw myself into the excitement of Halloween. Twenty days to make a complex costume! Obviously that isn't happening. I don't even have a vague idea what I'd want to be, or what to do.
Anyway, I daresay I'm finally Awake. Or getting close. Or just hyped about the thing happening Wednesday evening, some, oh, 40 hours, 46 minutes, and 33 seconds from now. But who's counting?
After what feels like a thousand years, I'm finally getting my very own kitten. I'm ecstatic about that- slightly nervous, yes, but very happy. This is going to heighten my already strong tendency to stay at home. I'm getting a 3.5 month old, hardly a tiny baby, but I don't even want to leave him for a few hours right now. Temptations like a trip to Six Flags and various parties are holding little appeal, when there's a little ball of joy to play with and photograph and laugh at and sing to and and and . . . all that.
Coyote's worried about his health, but I'm hoping it improves with continual exposure. Or the shots work well for him, he hasn't tried those yet. He made me promise to vacuum the living room every two weeks . . . I feel like I should book a service sub (another one, Tiger's got a lot on his plate right now) just for that one task. I doubt my own abilities to stay on top of it, especially during hibernation.
I'm just happy to have a friend who's always around.
I . . . shit, I didn't tell you guys about Phoenix! From . . .er, February or March to late June, we had a most wonderful houseguest. She's a calico Domestic Shorthair (Mediumhair, really) who is calm and loving, the least athletic cat I've met in my life. She stayed with us while her other pets were off on a semester abroad, and spent much of her awake-hours curled up in my lap.
To say that experience reawakened a fierce desire in me to be a cat owner again is an understatement. But I was hibernating, and there were so many factors to consider. It took Coyote and I a few hours of discussion to even bring our new pet options down to cat or bunny! (I do still long to be a bunny owner again, but I think it'd work better somewhere with more space and a backyard I could build a run in.)
It's such a shitshow, finding a cat if you aren't dropping the big dough for a specific breed. There's plenty posted on Craigslist every day- kittens kittens kittens! Only $120! They were given a flea bath! (None of the many many shots they need, no spaying/neutering, no vet attention at all. What a bargain, right?) Or would you prefer an adult cat, which may well be free or cheap, comes with all its stuff, because its owner of however many years has decided to move to a no-pets-allowed apartment and needs to drop it like a hot potato? I take a very dim view of "I couldn't find an apartment that allows pets", particularly from Providence dwellers. Our choices are numerous, and something as quiet and nondestructive as a cat may well be something you can talk a landlord into allowing. Also, every time I've moved, I had a bunny. I made "allows pets" my top priority in my housing search and had no problem finding a variety of suitable places. I can't imagine not prioritizing your animal friend, particularly if they mean as much to you as these fair-weather people claim.
I thought about going around to shelters, but I realized that I didn't want to spent weeks or months settling down a traumatized cat. An ex-con. I'm sure shelters have improved since whenever in the 80's my family adopted that dog, but I'm sure it's still harrowing.
In the end, I found a kitten on Petfinder. A Domestic Shorthair tuxedo, spayed male, with a black chin. The picture of him sleeping struck me. I filled out an application, but doing it on my iPod was a slow process. A week or so later, all the lady's questions were answered to her satisfaction, and I was approved. This isn't an ex-con: this boy was born in a foster home and has been enjoying a long childhood of romping with his siblings and being loved on by his mother. The only wrinkle is that I don't have a ride to make the trip to his new home as quick and steady as possible. I have someone I can text tomorrow, otherwise . . . ugh. There are lots of downsides to both cabs and taking a kitten in a carrier (even a soft one) on a 30-minute walk.
I'm saying "this boy" and "our kitten" as often as I can, because I don't want his foster-name to stick in my head. He shares it with one of my nephews (not the jock who has the ubercool fantasy name, alas), and I'm going to be annoying enough to my parents with my burbling. Speaking of, that's a project I can start whilst sleep eludes me: a birth-announcement to crow to my parents about their brand new grandkitten. They did join in the fun with my last pet, asking "how's my grandrabbit?" every so often. I'm leaning towards a sly Phantom reference, but I don't have any preset names. I want to get to know him and let him tell me his Truename when he feels comfortable.
I thought I'd have to prod Coyote, but he's been awesome at all the cleaning and rearranging and kittenproofing that I'm demanding. We're well on top of things: I'm going to vacuum my Toy Room and do a once-over of the whole place again, then clean the bathroom and help Coyote coat all of our many, many, many wires with Bitter Apple, a bad-tasting spray to dissuade animals from chewing. And then, I dunno. Climb the walls as I wait for Wednesday evening? Work on my last pre-hibernation project, which I'm eager to finish? Yell at the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II game 'til it shows me the one chest I must've missed?
Well, I'm no closer to sleeping, but at least I've gotten some wiggles out of my system. Only 39 hours, 15 minutes, and 52 seconds to go!
Anyway, I daresay I'm finally Awake. Or getting close. Or just hyped about the thing happening Wednesday evening, some, oh, 40 hours, 46 minutes, and 33 seconds from now. But who's counting?
After what feels like a thousand years, I'm finally getting my very own kitten. I'm ecstatic about that- slightly nervous, yes, but very happy. This is going to heighten my already strong tendency to stay at home. I'm getting a 3.5 month old, hardly a tiny baby, but I don't even want to leave him for a few hours right now. Temptations like a trip to Six Flags and various parties are holding little appeal, when there's a little ball of joy to play with and photograph and laugh at and sing to and and and . . . all that.
Coyote's worried about his health, but I'm hoping it improves with continual exposure. Or the shots work well for him, he hasn't tried those yet. He made me promise to vacuum the living room every two weeks . . . I feel like I should book a service sub (another one, Tiger's got a lot on his plate right now) just for that one task. I doubt my own abilities to stay on top of it, especially during hibernation.
I'm just happy to have a friend who's always around.
I . . . shit, I didn't tell you guys about Phoenix! From . . .er, February or March to late June, we had a most wonderful houseguest. She's a calico Domestic Shorthair (Mediumhair, really) who is calm and loving, the least athletic cat I've met in my life. She stayed with us while her other pets were off on a semester abroad, and spent much of her awake-hours curled up in my lap.
To say that experience reawakened a fierce desire in me to be a cat owner again is an understatement. But I was hibernating, and there were so many factors to consider. It took Coyote and I a few hours of discussion to even bring our new pet options down to cat or bunny! (I do still long to be a bunny owner again, but I think it'd work better somewhere with more space and a backyard I could build a run in.)
It's such a shitshow, finding a cat if you aren't dropping the big dough for a specific breed. There's plenty posted on Craigslist every day- kittens kittens kittens! Only $120! They were given a flea bath! (None of the many many shots they need, no spaying/neutering, no vet attention at all. What a bargain, right?) Or would you prefer an adult cat, which may well be free or cheap, comes with all its stuff, because its owner of however many years has decided to move to a no-pets-allowed apartment and needs to drop it like a hot potato? I take a very dim view of "I couldn't find an apartment that allows pets", particularly from Providence dwellers. Our choices are numerous, and something as quiet and nondestructive as a cat may well be something you can talk a landlord into allowing. Also, every time I've moved, I had a bunny. I made "allows pets" my top priority in my housing search and had no problem finding a variety of suitable places. I can't imagine not prioritizing your animal friend, particularly if they mean as much to you as these fair-weather people claim.
I thought about going around to shelters, but I realized that I didn't want to spent weeks or months settling down a traumatized cat. An ex-con. I'm sure shelters have improved since whenever in the 80's my family adopted that dog, but I'm sure it's still harrowing.
In the end, I found a kitten on Petfinder. A Domestic Shorthair tuxedo, spayed male, with a black chin. The picture of him sleeping struck me. I filled out an application, but doing it on my iPod was a slow process. A week or so later, all the lady's questions were answered to her satisfaction, and I was approved. This isn't an ex-con: this boy was born in a foster home and has been enjoying a long childhood of romping with his siblings and being loved on by his mother. The only wrinkle is that I don't have a ride to make the trip to his new home as quick and steady as possible. I have someone I can text tomorrow, otherwise . . . ugh. There are lots of downsides to both cabs and taking a kitten in a carrier (even a soft one) on a 30-minute walk.
I'm saying "this boy" and "our kitten" as often as I can, because I don't want his foster-name to stick in my head. He shares it with one of my nephews (not the jock who has the ubercool fantasy name, alas), and I'm going to be annoying enough to my parents with my burbling. Speaking of, that's a project I can start whilst sleep eludes me: a birth-announcement to crow to my parents about their brand new grandkitten. They did join in the fun with my last pet, asking "how's my grandrabbit?" every so often. I'm leaning towards a sly Phantom reference, but I don't have any preset names. I want to get to know him and let him tell me his Truename when he feels comfortable.
I thought I'd have to prod Coyote, but he's been awesome at all the cleaning and rearranging and kittenproofing that I'm demanding. We're well on top of things: I'm going to vacuum my Toy Room and do a once-over of the whole place again, then clean the bathroom and help Coyote coat all of our many, many, many wires with Bitter Apple, a bad-tasting spray to dissuade animals from chewing. And then, I dunno. Climb the walls as I wait for Wednesday evening? Work on my last pre-hibernation project, which I'm eager to finish? Yell at the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II game 'til it shows me the one chest I must've missed?
Well, I'm no closer to sleeping, but at least I've gotten some wiggles out of my system. Only 39 hours, 15 minutes, and 52 seconds to go!