Dream World

Does anyone else have places that they visit in dreams, over and over again? I have a fake three floor middle school that I go to every so often, a huge loft with exposed brick where I spend time, an "Alaska" that isn't anything like the real Alaska, an old "San Francisco" that isn't like real San Fran, back-stage at some theater, and probably other places too.

I also dream, every so often, that I have papers to write or I won't graduate from school. I've been out of school for five years.

Getting Old

So...My So-Called Life ran when I was a senior in high school. I can't say that I was anything like Angela, but at least back then, I identified with the kids in the series. Now I identify with the parents. They look so young! Plus: they take ballroom dance lessons in one episode--I so want to try that! And then they get audited by the IRS, which might be my biggest fear. Don't ask me why I fear the IRS. And they have a huge house. I covet their house.

Sweater is done...kind of

My very first knit sweater is finished, unless I decide to add sleeves. But it's kind of cool without them. I'm not sure I'll be able to wear it much either way because it fits NOW. I am thinking of starting another sweater that will fit after I lose the baby weight...and for that sweater, I could go all out and do sleeves.

Lincoln was gay?!

Did anyone else hear this on NPR over the weekend (or was it last week)?

I know they end up saying "no one really knows," but come on, people.

Anyone?

The plan so far....

Cloth diapers seem like a good idea, but I'm not sure we can pull them off as renters. Maybe for the next kid. Or maybe we could switch after buying a house. Hmmm....

On the other hand, baby-carrying, co-sleeping, breast-feeding, no TV, making our own baby-food, and teaching the baby to sign are all on the list of things we hope to do (or not do).

I think I know about five or six ASL signs already. Signing is really fun.

Sum up life in six words?

I guess for today, "baby due in thirty-two days" works.

35 Down, 35 To Go!

35 weeks down, that is. Only 35 days to go! Woo hoo!

Pregnancy makes you forget stuff...

No kidding.

Vote!

Yeah, I know it's not until next week, unless you are voting absentee like I (almost) always do. The one time I voted in person it was raining and I stepped in a puddle on the way there. Voting absentee rocks, people.

T-46

Although the official countdown (to forty weeks) says six and a half weeks to go, the baby *could* be here (and healthy) in just three and a half weeks. Wow.

Bed Rest

I am working on a knit sweater. Our baby-shower will be put off until after the baby is here.

The weakness in me

Show some emotion

Love and affection

Me, myself and I

Drop the pilot

Living for you

Willow

Rosie

I think my mom played Joan Armatrading to me when I was in the womb. I just love these songs. Yeah, some of the the videos suck.

"Free" Time

I am on bed rest. I am still adjusting to the news. I feel fine, so it's strange to have to stay in bed all the time.

On the positive side, I have been reading a lot. Just finished The Jane Austen Book Club, which a friend read and left with me last weekend. Half-way through Mommy Wars. Perhaps I will finally knit a sweater.

tgif?

So I spent six hours at the hospital while they ran tests. It wasn't that bad. Most of the time, I got to chit chat with some really nice ladies I will be seeing twice a week for a while. Plus, it was all in a comfortable bed. How can you beat that?

mommy wars

The book is a set of essays by working moms, stay at home moms, and hybrid moms on their career and parenting choices. It's kind of fantastic.

T-59

Counting down!

Awesome people I am lucky to know

My husband is awesome and spent the last week protecting me and also saving the world. And he still managed to find time for some boring chores too.

My sister spent the weekend saving the world as well.

I guess with the storms and everything, there was a lot of world saving to do.

My mom is awesome and I need to get her something really good for her birthday.

84% like who?

84% Chris Dodd
82% Hillary Clinton
82% Barack Obama
80% John Edwards
80% Bill Richardson
69% Joe Biden
66% Mike Gravel
65% Dennis Kucinich
42% Rudy Giuliani
38% Tom Tancredo
34% Mitt Romney
31% John McCain
25% Mike Huckabee
23% Fred Thompson
15% Ron Paul

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

I checked out Chris Dodd and I guess my candidate has already thrown in the towel. That's just great.

In other news, no wonder I've been so torn between Clinton and Obama.

Sunshine versus Rainbows...hee!

Debate on "The Poop"

I [heart] Hillary

I think Hillary Clinton should start a "I [heart] Hillary" campaign, like the "I [heart] NY" campaign that helped make more people like New York City. After all, she's the senator from NY.

Not that I don't like Barack Obama. Congrats to him tonight.

ETA: Of course, perhaps there is a potential problem with that "I heart Huckabees" movie.

2008!

Woo! Learner and I had a great New Year's Eve and I am looking forward to so much in 2008!

ETA: Now, besides feeling the baby kick, we can see him kick too! It's weird, but good.

food issues

new book

I can't remember where I first heard the idea that most of what we eat today isn't really food, but the idea really struck a chord with me.

2007 Pretty Much Rocked

Getting engaged. Getting married. Finding out we're pregnant. Feeling the baby kick. Learning to cable knit. Experimenting in the kitchen. Taking a first responder class at the local fire station. A good year.

Ever hate a seemingly harmless slang word?

I hate the word "preggo." That is all.

cooking up a storm

A slow storm. I bought a Crock Pot recently and am having fun experimenting with some simple recipies. Yesterday I made veggie chili. Today I am making potato corn soup. I *love* that I can start cooking and then leave the house to run errands. Woo!

Cable Knit Hat--Update!

I was at REI recently and saw the *exact same* hat that I knit by hand on sale...the only difference was a small strip of felt lining and a Northface label.

You Tube

see here

Holiday Lights!

Learner and I drove around this evening looking at Christmas lights that are already up decorating tons of houses and front lawns in our area. It was so much fun!

Happy Side Dish Day! (one day ahead)

Hello everyone who lurks, but never posts to my blog.

Happy Thanksgiving! I don't eat Turkey or Tofurkey, but I love most of the side dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, YUM.

Plus, I am feeling so happy and thankful at the moment for...my mom who organized a huge wedding reception for Learner and myself, two months after we ran off and got married. There are plenty of other things too: Craigslist, where I just got a fantastic glider/rocking chair; my husband for being sweet, friends and family for being themselves; Trader Joes for being kick-ass; the internet; and more and more the more I think about it.

Have a great day, everyone!

Soooo close

Learner and I are so close to being all moved and settled into our new place. Whew!

De-clutter-o-rama

Well, I have donated four boxes of books and a dining room table and chair set, and thrown away and recycled as much as possible, including giving away my TV and DVD player (a 5 changer one) and TV stand, and my only regrets are things I still have in the house!

Don't trust anyone over 30...

Is it *over* thirty? Because I'm thirty today! Yay!

ETA: A certain sweetheart sent me beautiful, surprise pink lilies. I'll post a picture when I can.

Donate!

I am donating a bunch of textbooks to our local juvenile hall. Yay! I get to stop lugging them around and worrying about where to put them. Even better, donating them should mean someone will be reading them! I never even open these books, which range from pre-high school all the way through law school.

De-Clutter!!!

We're about to move to an as-yet undiscovered but fabulous new apartment, so I am decluttering an entire house in preparation. Yesterday, it was kind of overwhelming. Today, I am sugarated and shredding old correspondence already!

Surprise!

Shhhhhhhh

dun dun duuuun

We're moving!

Learner got a new job. We're moving!

Naked Barbie Dolls

My favorite local band, the Naked Barbie Dolls, played a free gig at the Starry Plow in Berkeley yesterday. And they dedicated a song to me! That's a first.

Worn Out

Maybe it's the heat (106! Again!) or maybe I'm getting old, but going to classes, lugging around heavy books in the hot sun, and studying has been completely exhausting.

Maybe I should drop my classes and take some different ones, like art, or Spanish, or English.

Seriously, I only have until Tuesday to return $450 in books for a refund if I'm not going to stick out this semester. Plus, someone else might still be able to take my slot in micro (which turned people away)....

Of course, maybe I just need some more protein in my diet. I've been really lazy about cooking lately and I don't have a lot of instant protein foods.

Buried in work...already

I studied too much for micro this week (two quizzes already!) and not enough for anatomy (one quiz). I don't know how I'm going to do all this work. I think I will get a study group together, though.

Anatomy

Very cool teacher. Fun lab. This semester is clearly going to be a lot of work.

Microbiology 101

I started fall classes today and micro was great! I have missed science classes and labs. Of course, I have a lot of old chemistry and math and stuff to review. But I liked my classes today.

Anatomy tomorrow. Woo hoo.

I'm back, baby!

I've been locked out of my blog. I know, very sad. But I'll start posting again...

Now.

Best. Fracking. Episode. Ever!

Do not read if you are a BG fan who has not yet seen the season finale!
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Kara's alive!
The final five!
I've seen Earth...!
And some legal drama that was professionally interesting for me as a trial attorney...who knows a lot of other trial attorneys....

Two and a Half Weeks

Well, the living apart from my fiance arrangement has been old for about...the entire eight months we've been separated during the week...and I finally decided to quit my job to come home. I'll miss the job, but not quite as much as I miss my fiance.

Wish me luck! I gave three weeks notice, but I've got a ton to do before I leave.

Engaged

Learner and I are engaged. Whew! It's hard to concentrate on anything else.

No Sugar...48 hours

I recently read a book about the evils of sugar and decided to cut back. It's only been a couple of days, but it's pretty tough not having any sugar. I had a small glass of orange juice yesterday morning and no sugar since then...or at least, no refined white or brown sugar, no refined white flour, no honey, no hot coco, etc. My book says that the cereal and milk I had was full of sugar. (This is NOT cereal where sugar is a main ingredient...just regular cereal.)

Sick

I hate being sick. I hate missing work. Grrr. Hope all of you are well.

No quitting the band, people!

So I have been at the new job for three months. I love my clients. I have done at least eight trials. I am not so much loving having a long distance relationship and covering an extra day in court for more than a month so far because we have an attorney out on sick leave. She was supposed to be out for one month...which has already come and gone...but it will be another month or more before we get back to normal. Normal is busy enough, believe me. Grrr....

So this will probably be my one post for the next three months...unless I spend Thanksgiving on the computer at my parents' house. :)

Hope all is well with you guys, if I have any readers left.

Life so far...

The job is going okay so far. Interesting work and nice co-workers.

It's very hard being back home only two days a week. I've put over 1000 miles on my car in two weeks. If I keep up at this rate, that will be 26,000 miles for the first year. But Learner has been very supportive. And my family and Learner's friends in the new city have been great.

I would say I'm still deciding about this change. But I'm cautiously optimistic.

Prius

I bought a Prius. Woo woo!

New Job, New Place, New Car

I am about to buy my first car ever, move to a new city, and start a new job. Believe it or not, I also have even bigger fish to fry. Secret fish.

I have a lot on my mind.

So much for 13.1

Well, I have been holding out hope of running this Sunday.

Our goal was to run the half marathon in San Francisco. On the way, my knee got messed up, Learner got heat exhaustion, and we got way off our training schedule. (That's a lot of "gots.") But I was still hoping to go out and see what I could do. I went to the gym two days ago and ran/walked (because of knee pain) four and a half miles. Not really long enough or fast enough to finish the half marathon in the (pretty generous) time limit. I didn't push myself to the absolute limit, of course. I had time constraints and I am being careful about my knee. I wasn't wearing my knee brace. But, still, it's pretty clear that it would be a large challenge to try to finish the 13.1 miles, and even more of a challenge to finish it within the time required. So that's one issue.

The bigger issue is this: we have something more important to do on Sunday now. Learner wants to visit his brother and it might be the last chance for a long time.

So this is it: the death of 13.1. But I think I am becoming a runner. I have never been a runner before, and I like it so much, I don't want to jeopardize my ability to run by pushing my knee injury into an even more serious problem. I think becoming a runner (of a few miles, a few times a week) is pretty cool, whether I can race this week or not.

Stressors

I read an article about life stressors that listed both good and bad events as incidents which add to the baseline of stress to a person's life (or a family's life). So, getting married is up there with losing a job. Moving to a new house counts just like the death of a pet. I think there is an implication that the number of stressors is more important than the type, so getting married, starting a new job, moving to a new house, getting a pet, having a child, and whatever else good that might happen to a person would be more overwhelming than just one bad event.

I'm not sure that the good and bad should count equally, but I am starting to think that a large number of life changes can be very stressful. Not like I'm about to have a kid or anything. :)

What do you guys think?

Knitting Update: Starting Over

I made a mistake and then couldn't figure out how to fix it, so...I'm starting over. Tomorrow. Grrr. The ribbing and the beginning sweater were going well.

New Job

I was just offered a new job. It will involve relocation/a long commute, long hours, and low pay. On the other hand, it will be representing clients that I love to represent, training opportunities, and stable, full-time work.

Wish me luck.

Knitting Update: I'm making a sweater!

Yes, it was at least 111 degrees today, and yet I am excited about knitting a sweater. So far I have knitted half an inch of ribbing. I am very proud. I am taking my first ever knitting class---Learner signed me up for intermediate knitting---and I just don't know whether I would have done this on my own. On my own, I have made a shawl, some nice scarves, and a couple of hats. During the next four weeks of this class, I will knit a toddler sweater. In lavender. It's going pretty well so far. I love having a teacher there to fix mistakes and show me how to purl properly. (I guess I didn't manage to teach myself purling all that well---even though I thought I was doing it correctly.)

So, sweater time! I have to get back to my ribbing.

Wedding News

I loved my sister's wedding.

To start, her dress was beautiful. Next, City Hall in San Francisco turned out to be a fantastic place for the ceremony. While I had no idea what to expect, all of the details were touching, laid-back, and fun. The civil ceremony included simple, meaningful vows. The groom's two sons were the official witnesses--I didn't know you could have witnesses who are under eighteen years of age!

Dinner was wonderful. I didn't take the limo to dinner, but I heard the limo was lots of fun. Our family has a lot of kids and all of the ones at the ceremony and later at dinner were well-behaved. My sister and her husband picked out wonderful almond champagne for dinner. (They also provided red and white wine.)

Then, a smaller group of us (those without kids) headed over to jazz at Yoshi's. My parents love Yoshi's, so I've been there for jazz before, but I found out Friday that my new brother-in-law did the acoustics for Yoshi's, so he's got the inside track. We had great tables reserved for our whole group and we stayed for the second show of the night too. (You can always do that if they have room.)

Finally, my parents put on brunch the next morning at their house for the bride, groom, and groom's parents. It was nice to have even more time with them, particularly when we could kick back in jeans and sneakers. Of course, my sister was still wearing her wedding bling, but other than that, everyone was casual.

All in all, a wonderful weekend.

Yard Work...Manicure...Wedding!

It has been a long week of tough physical labor, psychological stress, and severely limited compensation, but it is here: Friday. Oh, yeah, and my sister's wedding! I am psyched. The line-up is: ceremony at City Hall, dinner at Kincaid's, entertainment at Yoshi's. Then, brunch and errands on Saturday.

The Neverending Story: More Hard Yard Work

Learner's mom has been staying with us since Saturday. There is a ton of yard work that needs to be done and that is why she came. Of course, it's so hot here that we have to start working early every morning and work until we just can't stay out in the sun anymore. She's planning to come back next week for another five days and maybe the next week after that.

I can't believe we're not done yet. We've weed-whacked, weed-pulled, cut, and raked enough weeds and branches to fill up our huge green bin for yard waste probably five times over. Maybe six. There's still more to do.

It feels good to work out in the yard, though, It's good exercise.

Hard A** Yard Work

I'm weed-whacking and raking out in the back yard in 87 degree heat. It's only 9 am and it's already 87 degrees. Of course, it's only 9 am and I've already done a ton of work. So I think it's been a good day.

My Sister's Wedding: T minus six days

My sister is getting married this coming Friday. Woo!

14 Years, 5 Months, 13 Days

14 years, 5 months, 12 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units
5278 days can be converted to one of these units:
456,019,200 seconds
7,600,320 minutes
126,672 hours
754 weeks

Walking Update: Knee Problems

Today is one week after my run with major knee problems. I walked three miles. I thought the 100+ degree heat would be the problem. Unfortunately, my knee bothered me more than the heat. Damn.

Friends are the jelly in the peanut butter of life.

That would be my paraphrase of an old Peanuts comic. I was just talking to one of my oldest friends about what's going on with her life and what's going on with my life. It had been a while since we caught up and the last I talked to her, everything at her job was going well. The situation has changed...drastically. Even though I couldn't really help her, I could listen and sympathize, just like she always does for me. Still, it brings me down a little bit when my friends (and family) are going through tough times, and I wish I could do more.

Running Update: Major Knee Problems

On Sunday morning we ran. My knees do okay on dirt and pavement but asphalt and gravel are another story. I'm recovering from some major pain now. Here's hoping I can run/speedwalk the half marathon at the end of this month.

My Poor Baby

Learner had surgery scheduled yesterday. Then he was groggy. This morning, he was still groggy...and didn't remember anything we talked about yesterday.

The waiting room was decent, though. A bunch of nice people befriended me and complimented my knitting. I finished a hat and started a new scarf.

The highlight of my day was early on: when we arrived, the "surgery information" volunteer checked us in and asked if I was Learner's wife. When I said "no, just girlfriend," she said, "That's just as good. Sometimes better!" That made us laugh.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is scary. We are experiencing triple digits here. Learner felt ill for half the weekend because of the combination of high temps and running.

My knee hurt too much to run. Lucky me.

If you're running, you're winning.

I bought a running book and it says, if you're running, you're winning. So, I'm winning!

Boogers of the sea

Learner and I went to the Arcata Oyster Festival this past weekend. (We stopped at The Sea Ranch on the way up and back.) First we stopped at a stand that had grilled oysters with garlic and butter. I tried to swallow a whole oyster...unsuccessfully. But later, I cut up a fried oyster and doused it in coctail sauce and managed to eat one bite. There are no photos of either of these incidents because they happened too quickly.

Basically, oysters are gross, y'all. But Learner had so much fun, the trip was worth it. He ate 30 oysters, I ate 1/30th of an oyster. It's all good.

Running Off the Berries

4 miles this morning felt great. Must be the fueling up on chocolate dipped berries. Wooo.

Mmmm...

Instead of watching her show, I pretended to *be* Martha Stewart today. It turns out that making chocolate covered strawberries (and rasberries) is easy. You don't even need wax paper. Just a bag of chocolate chips and a microwave. The only trick is that the berries must be absolutely dry when you do the dipping or the chocolate seizes up and becomes useless.

In case anyone is interested, here's a list of all you need: a bag of chocolate chips, a carton (or two) of berries, a sheet of wax paper OR saran wrap, a platter or cookie sheet, a glass bowl, and a microwave. Line the platter with the wax paper. Wash the berries and then dry them very well. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds to a minute. Stir the melting chips. It is better to microwave less than you think and mix than to overdo it. Dip the berries and place on wax paper. Refrigerate.

I highly recommend making this treat.

Running Update: 2 miles...2 miles...4 miles...4 miles!

After quite a hiatus, I am back to running at least a few miles at a go. Cross your fingers for 13.1 in just six weeks!

Kitten Update: Still Cute

Explosion of Roses

Baby Pomegranate Fruit

Muffin Tops

So Learner and I found ourselves in L.A. this weekend. We had a great time at Venice Beach---I haven't been there since I was a kid. First, we had an excellent breakfast at the Mercedes Grille. Then we saw a great group of acrobats called the Calypso Tumblers. They were hilarious in between jumps. I wish I had taken a camera. There were tons of vendors selling knick knacks, sketches, henna tattoos, and fortunes. There were also a huge number of police officers patrolling the beach.

We were also taken in for two days and one night by one of Learner's good friends from college. She rocked. She was the best hostess ever. And she's the one that told me that in L.A., if you have a little bit of a tummy, it's called a "muffin top" by (her words) "L.A. bitches." Then she gave me a tiny tee shirt with "busters" written across the front and encouraged me to wear it to the beach.

Tile and Grout

I never thought I would be so excited about grout. But this weekend, Learner and I tiled our front bathroom. (Learner did the heavy lifting and I fetched him tools and took photos.) And grout is one of the last steps that finishes the job and makes it look professional.




Then today, Martha Stewart had a project involving decorative tiling. When she mentioned thin set and grout, I was excited that I knew what they were and how to use them!

Free Pie

I just gave blood and got a free chocolate satin pie from Marie Callender's. They are running a promotion until the end of May, so go donate! (You get to pick any type of pie. The Blood Bank is at 1900 W. Orangeburg in Modesto)

Gardening

I am actually working in the garden! The pomegranate tree is blooming and there is a humming bird flying around it feeding right now. I trimmed the pomegranate tree and one of the rose bushes. I think we need more fruit trees. I suspect that they may be easier to grow/maintain than vegetables. (Of course, it takes a few years before you have an established tree that bears fruit...but hey.) Woo!

ETA: I've done even more pruning to several more trees. It is uber hard work. But the neighbors will be happier with us. And I think we have a ginko tree. Who knew?

Katharine v. Taylor

The American Idol final two are Katharine and Taylor. I was so hoping it would work out this way.

Tee hee

Post Party Depression

Well, not really. My mom said that this year was the nicest mother's day brunch ever. Yea!

Vegetable Gardening

I'm thinking about gardening in our huge backyard. So far, it looks like very hard work to grow your own vegetables. But it might be fun. Has anyone else grown their own veggies or fruits in the backyard?

Mother's Day Brunch

So far, my plans for mother's day brunch (for my mom, two sisters, and me) include: apple pancakes, eggs benedict, fruit salad (my mom's request), champagne (everyone's request), and coffee. I feel like something is missing. Oatmeal or toast or something should round out the meal. Maybe cake for dessert. Would it be weird to have hummus and pita as an appetizer? I made really good garlic hummus a couple of weeks ago, and you always want to give people something small to start while you pull the more complicated parts of the meal together. Hmmm...

Any suggestions, readers?

Bueller?

My Sister's Wedding

My sister set a date for her wedding. She's deciding between City Hall and Vegas. Apparently, City Hall might be too small to invite more than just the parents. I think I'm rooting for Vegas.

Houseguest

Learner's mom has been with us since Sunday. She is leaving today and then planning to come back tomorrow.

Lawn Jungle

Learner and I took a whack at our jungle (lawn) in the backyard yesterday. Today, I continued. Whew! It is exhausting trying to mow down a massive two foot high collection of grasses and weeds. The yard isn't finished yet, but looks much better.

Hard work nothwithstanding, I love that our backyard is HUGE. I can't wait to fix it up and play croquet or put up a hammock or have a picnic! Yea!

Modesto: Not a Destination Town

I'm trying to round up my family for Mother's Day.

People may actually come to Modesto.

Free Cone Day

Today is Free Cone Day. For all those that live near a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, go enjoy!

I love free cone day, but alas, there is no B&J's here.

TV Turn Off Week

Yeah, right.

Okay, I might try to cut back this week, but nothing is stopping me from watching Veronica Mars on Tuesday night. So there.

Hometown Cockroach

Don't eat at the Hometown Buffet in Modesto. Just don't.

I direct your attention to Learner's blog for the whole icky story.

Back in the Saddle...so to speak

After missing a few runs, I was back today with a 3 1/2 mile run! What a relief. The run felt great.

A Hitch

I've been scouting a location for my home daycare business and it's perfect. Close enough to downtown, off a major street, near the freeway for Bay Area commuters, and next door to a gym with a big parking lot. The house has a good layout for indoor and outdoor play, lots of space, and separate living space for us.

There also seems to be an unlicensed daycare operating two doors down. What should I do?

The Californians

So if you blink, you miss me...and fifty other extras. I had to frame through a bunch of concert crowd scenes, but I found myself in the movie! I also found three of my friends (in a different scene) including my friend in casting who is listed in the credits.

I might have to buy this movie.

The Hilarity

Circa 2003, I was an extra in a little independent movie called "The Californians." For a couple of years, I checked imdb to see when this movie was going to arrive in theaters, or, at least, the video rental shacks. Then I gave up. But today I saw one of the stars on TV and checked again and...ta da:

My First Movie

3 miles...3 miles...7 miles!

Another milestone. Woo. 7 miles felt great. I used water and gel for the first time today. I think it was helpful.

Beta Davis and Action Alpha

Kitten Update

I wrote the following for my creative writing class:

When the kittens are bad, I remind them that we saved their lives. We rescued them hours before rainstorms hit our area and flooded the homes in Dry Creek. They reward us by scratching up our turquoise armchair and ripping apart our tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels.

Beta is the cute one, which makes Alpha the unloved one. Beta is a fluffy, gray and white, green-eyed, little faced, adorable kitten. Alpha looks nothing like her; he has exotic Pharaoh cat markings in brown and black, slanted yellow eyes, and a long distinguished face. We are almost positive they are brother and sister, though. They were dumped together outside the courthouse where I work. They act like siblings, curling up together in a way that stranger cats just don’t. And they share one characteristic: six toes on each front paw. Kittens with opposable thumbs! They are like humans; they are extra-evolved. They are polydactyl.

Okay, they are inbred.

My boyfriend Learner loves Beta better. She follows him around. He must carry bacon in his pockets surreptitiously. Or she really likes the way he scratches her hindquarters.

Cassie, our first houseguest, loved Beta better. We set up the foldout couch for Cassie with a warning that the cats might sleep on her head. They didn’t, as it turns out, but Alpha did put his face up to hers and stared at her while she slept.

Alpha likes to jump on my back like I am a piece of climbing furniture, a stepping-stone to some countertop or upper window. Alpha can jump very high on his own, but he prefers to use me. Beta learned that she cannot follow Alpha everywhere he goes. Still, she doesn’t use me as a staircase; she sits patiently and looks cute and waits. I or someone else will always help her.

Beta loves to curl up in people’s laps: my lap, Learner’s lap, Cassie’s lap. Alpha takes a couple of minutes to warm up to people. He might ignore people for even longer, but he gets jealous when Beta is picked up and carried around and cuddled. Since Alpha never gets picked up first, he purrs at the slightest encouragement. He purrs when I call his name, even before I pick him up.

To be fair, the Vet likes Alpha better because Alpha is brave. Alpha takes his shots like a man. Alpha comes out of the cat carrier on purpose.

Alpha might have survived the storms.

Sudoku Master

I am the "Easy as Pie" Sudoku MASTER.

In other news, hello, my name is Anon, I am a Sudokuholic.