Category: the feline

Perspective

Remember how I pondered a couple days ago if I was, perhaps, too attached to my pet?

Today I read this article and think, maybe I’m doin’ all right:

Florida Man Punches Shark To Save His Terrier

Says pet owner Greg LeNoir:

“…We have no children. Jake became our child. When I saw the shark engulf him, I thought, `This can’t be the end.’”

Poor pupular is doing fine after some extensive vet work.

And I thought scrunching over to the very edge of the bed to allow room for a spread eagle sleeping cat was a sacrifice.

Greg LeNoir, you win.

This one’s for the pet owners

Due to having a rather austere father, I am not one of those folks with deep, fond memories of the parade of pets I owned and raised as I grew up.

The Good Man is this way. Both of his parents are avid animal people and so he has a whole lifetime of pets he can speak about in loving tones. It makes me sort of jealous.

I have one childhood pet. A white cat obtained when I was about twelve.

She was a good pet, truly. Her name was Yoda and she was very tolerant of me (and that’s saying a lot for a cat). She had a fantastic personality, full of charm and easy to love. She would come when you called her name and was nutso over turkey meat.

Poor little feline breathed her last while I was away studying at NMSU.

In the span of my adult life, post-Yoda, I’d never owned another pet. Which is weird, because I’m a lover of fuzzies and usually form close bonds with the pets belonging to my friends.

My best friend is owner to my goddog and a finicky godcat and I love ’em like they are my own. But they aren’t my own. And they live in Las Cruces, so that doesn’t help!

So imagine my delight when I began dating The Good Man almost three years ago and he had not one but TWO felines to keep his life interesting.

One charming old man marmalade and one batty, toddler-esque black and white.

Sadly, the marmie gave over to kidney issues soon after TGM and I started seeing each other, but I at least had the chance to love that orange kitty. He was a good man.

Which leaves us now with the batty cat. She’s the one who charms our lives these days.

This is only the second pet I’ve ever personally owned. And I am here to confess:

I love that cat.

In fact, that’s the genesis of this post. I have one of those screensavers that plucks images from my photo library and displays them onscreen. As I was on the phone earlier today dealing with another cranky business client, this photo flashed on my screen and held there for a bit too long.

And I stared at that g’damn cat and felt so much love in my heart. Like…over love. Too much love. WAY too much love for such a cute furry obnoxious, middle of the night meowing cuz she’s hungry kind of animal.

Am I the only pet owner who has ever wondered…am I a little *too* attached to my pet?

Strange days indeed…

Most peculiar, Mama*

If you, like me, sometimes struggle with change…well, then this is NOT our year.

I mean. Let’s start with the election. Both an African American Man and a woman on the main stage. Whoa Nellie!

The economy. Jeebus, I need a seatbelt to stay on this crazy ride!

There’s even a new profession I only just heard of in an article about this economy. A “neuroeconomist”, who studies the biology of economic behavior. Some guy from Emory University is saying we’re all acting like a bunch of scared sheep.

Not sure I disagree.

Several friends have been laid off from jobs and have had a lot of trouble finding a new gig.

Fannie Mae now (unwillingly) owns some 54,000 homes.

Some meaningful people both personally and in society have passed away.

A couple people very dear to me are seriously ill.

My 43-year old friend is preggers (naturally) for the first time.

My big brother is moving to Malaysia…This just after he and his family came through freaking Hurricane Ike.

Gas prices are through the roof. Prices unheard of thus far in our country.

Oh yeah, and for me personally I got married and am potentially changing jobs after almost a decade at one company.

2008 is not for sissies!

And we’re only nine months into this thing!

Holy crap!

If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to retire to the underside of my bed with a tubful of Cherry Garcia, a canister of Valium and my cat.

Call me when things have settled, hey?

*Borrowed liberally from John Lennon. Thanks John!

Monday, Monday

Can’t trust that day.

Another Monday in the life after a quick yet faboo weekend. It’s always hard to come back to work after a short two days away from work.

Hard to find my groove again.

The oppressive heat isn’t helping with the whole “groove” thang either. It’s hot here. Really, gaggingly hot.

And for my New Mexico readers who say, “Ah c’mon, you are a desert girl. It’s not THAT hot!” may I remind you that…I have NO AIR CONDITIONING.

None.

Zilch.

Zip.

Nada.

The jokesters here in the Bay Area are all like “ooooh, there’s foooog. It’s ‘nature’s air conditioning’ you don’t need anything else.”

To them I sah “bah!”

At least my car has working a/c and my office…well, my office is *too* well air-conditioned. There are icicles hanging off my cubicle walls.

I wear a sweater all day only to come home to a sweat box (I swear, The Good Man, the Feline and I all could go on a Native American spiritual journey in there). That can’t be healthy.

I actually prefer to be hot. But right now my freezing hands are wrapped around a cup of hot tea while I wear a thick sweater.

And I’m *sure* keeping a two story office building at meat locker temperature isn’t wasting energy at ALL!

Can’t we just clack the movie marker and start this one again?

Ready? Action!

Home again, home again…

…dancing a jig.

Had an easy and non-eventful drive from the greater Barstow metropolitan area to the Bay Area where we were greeted with an oppressive haze from the multitudinous fires burning. None near where we live, but all around. Ugh. The sky is terrible. It’s cold. It’s windy. It’s not Oh Fair New Mexico.

And there’s no green chile.

I’m unpacking, doing laundry and getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. Boo!

I asked The Good Man what he wanted for lunch today. “Green chile,” he replied and we both sighed in sorrow.

“I didn’t get enough mexican food while we were in New Mexico,” he lamented. We had it every day….

What do they call someone who introduces another to their addiction? Cuz that’s what I am. I made a Brooklyn boy a green chile addict. Heh!

Meanwhile, life goes on. The Feline is fine but a big clingy. She missed us in her own way.

Back to normal life, I suppose. I miss New Mexico more than ever…..