Prime Real Estate

Cats are particular about spaces.  Most cats share spaces but dominance (or the cat-equivalent) can sometimes be assessed by who gets the best space the most.

My cats don't share...anything.  They even have their own kitty litter boxes.  They are forced to share food but only because when I tried to create a his and hers, he ate both.

In the new house the kitchen window is the favorite spot.  It is best when there is sun but loved regardless of the weather.

Smudge must like this house a lot because she has not been backing down, especially when it comes to the window seat.

Consequently space is now shared.

Angel's New Digs

Sunday b and I drove down to visit with Angel in his new home.  He had been working double shifts all week but had Sunday and Monday off.

We met one of his roommates (the other is off visiting Vietnam as part of the school's study abroad program) and his roommate's cat.  The cat has a stubby tail because someone wrapped a band around it when she was a kitten.  I don't know how people can be so cruel.  She's a very sweet cat.

Angel gave us the tour and all I could say to b was that the house is a lot nicer than the one we're renting.  The rooms are all large.  They have nice wooden floors and great detail on the walls.  I really liked the yard.  It has a lot of potential.  It's an odd shape, with a lot of little sections and steps that remind me of an English garden.

The house also has a formal dining room and a breakfast nook.  We're big fans of the breakfast nook in our family.

Angel says he eats most of his meals in his room.

The kitchen is very nice and comfortable for cooking.  Angel is buying groceries like cereal and sandwich fixings but he wants to learn how to cook simple meals.  We're supposed to be sending him recipes.  I brought groceries with me to cook one of his favorite dishes: Arroz Con Pollo.  We also bought him a pot because we weren't sure if he had anything to cook it in.

As we were driving down, he called to see if we minded cooking for some of his fraternity brothers.  Of course I said I'd be happy to meet his friends and that there was always enough food.  I ended up cooking for 10.

I wrote down the recipe and took pictures at each step while I was cooking. I'm in the process of putting it altogether for Angel. The guys loved the dish and several said they want a copy of the recipe too. If it turns out well I might end up posting it here.

His friends are great.  They are exceptionally polite and considerate but, more importantly, really care about Angel.  The warmth and good affection they all have for each other is obvious and is not what I expected from a fraternity.  I have to admit that Angel's college experience has taught me a lot more about Greek Life than I ever thought I'd know.

We left shortly after dinner.  The guys were all lounging in front of the TV and I believe there were plans brewing for that evening.  Angel looked pleased with himself and quite content in his new surroundings.  It was easy to leave him there.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Animal Edition

We have three pets living in the House of Dirt and Rocks.

The Good (She really is the sweetest pup ever)

The Bad (He can be evil but I love him)

And The Ugly (Actually she's very cute but she is an ugly pet to own)

I write frequently about the first two but have never really described TOC before. TOC (not her real name) stands for The Other Cat. Its not a good pseudonym for her. The other day I told b her name was Smudgy McDoodle, or Smudge. That seems more fitting. [All of our animals have multiple nicknames. Pupzilla is also Pupsicle, Puppy Chulu, and Maximus Fartimus, just to name a few.]

We have a love/hate relationship with TOC/Smudge. Most of the time it is closer to hate than to love. I know that sounds horrible but the truth is you don't always like every family member you have but like them or not, they are still family. You stand by them and you love them even if most of the time you wish they would just disappear.

Smudge is odd. She stares at walls. She will stare at the door without saying a word until someone notices that she wants to go out. That's not really the part we dislike however. I think the part that gets me the most is the amount that she vomits. There isn't anything physically wrong with her. She's been doing it since she was a kitten (she's 10 years old) and several doctors have checked her out. She may be bulimic as she often does it after gorging herself (and she's never weighed more than 6 1/2 lbs). When I say vomit, I really mean projectile spewing. Luckily it starts out fairly loud so about half the time we can catch her at it before she throws up on something valuable. A few weeks ago she threw up on my pillow while I was sleeping. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough that time.

As small as she is, she's a fierce fighter. This ability only comes out when humans (like vets) are trying to do something she doesn't like. Around other animals she's quite the chicken. Last month the doctor tried to give her a pill. It took her and the technician several attempts. They used a long pill inserter, a towel, and a syringe filled with water and the doctor still walked away with several deep scratches.

The second thing that bothers me is her need to climb the clothes in my closet (there is no door so I can't keep her out). She has really sharp claws and particularly likes leather. She climbs leather jackets and silk shirts and scratches at my boots. She doesn't seem to possess the ability to completely velvet her claws. She does like affection. In fact she likes a lot of it and if you don't give it to her or if you stop after several minutes, she reminds you of her desire by extending her claw into your arm. Of course if you continue petting her and she likes it too much, she bites you.

She likes people but can't stand any other animal on the planet. The feeling is quite mutual and we often need to rescue her from the neighbors' cats when she's outside. When she's inside we have to rescue her from The Brute. Pupzilla no longer cares about her one way or the other but she still hisses and claws at her whenever she gets too close. To get away from the other animals she sometimes climbs into the kitchen cabinets. We try to catproof as many as possible but some are just not set up for locking. I cannot begin to describe the number of glassware she has broken as she walks her way around the shelves.

She is a big fan of the "Make The Bed" game and manages to be in the room every morning when this event happens. Sometimes I play along.

She is a climber and it is one of the few things b respects about her. She used to climb on top of the doors constantly when she was a kitten.

She still does it occasionally. It is her best trick.

Cat Fight

Sometime early this morning (around 0'dark thirty) b and I heard a cat fight going on outside of our house. Since TOC (a) lives most of her life outside and (b) is hated by every other living cat on the planet, it is not unusual to hear her screaming for her life when another cat invades our yard. As is the normal custom, b and Pupzilla got out of their respective beds and raced to the backdoor. Pupzilla loves a good cat fight and, although she normally doesn't notice TOC is alive, she is more than happy to rush out and defend her against the neighborhood toughs. However this morning the fight was (a) not in the backyard and (b) did not include TOC. b came back to bed and reported that the orange tabby (toughest of the neighborhood cats) and some unknown grey cat were in the feline version of the Mexican stand-off on the front lawn. Both he and Pupzilla proceeded to fall back to sleep.

I, on the other hand, lay awake in bed (normally it is b who can't return to sleep so this morning was unusual on many fronts). As I lay there, I started thinking about a problem I am having with a grant application. It is one of those good problems. I am currently writing a medium-sized NIH grant that is designed to solve a problem (Solution Grant). The solution to the problem is based on a theory that I have been slowly developing for the past few years. In addition to wanting to solve the problem I also want to understand the application of the theory to the problem, and I am particularly interested in how the theory works across time. To do this I would need to write (and eventually get) another grant (Theoretical Grant). Last month there was a call out for an internal award for faculty who want to write a grant application over the summer. It is not a lot of money but it certainly would be helpful to get summer pay to write this grant. So I submitted a very brief outline of my idea for Theoretical Grant. I honestly thought I didn't have a chance (they were only choosing 2 faculty members) but I figured it couldn't hurt to apply. Much to my surprise I got the award.

Now I have to respond on whether I will accept the funding and while that may seem like a n0-brainer, it comes with a few stipulations. The most troublesome stipulation is that I would need to submit Theoretical Grant by the end of the fall semester. I know how to do almost all aspects of the study in Solution Grant and for the parts I don't know how to do I have collaborators who have expertise in those areas. I also have a strong background in designing and implementing solutions but I am not as strong in studying change over time. The study design for Theoretical Grant would call for some very sophisticated statistical analyses and I don't have any collaborators who are experts in what I would need to answer my questions. So before I could even really get started I would need to identify and then assemble a new team. While this is quite doable it does take time and I still do have to get Solution Grant submitted. I am hesitant to commit to the stipulation since there is a good chance it could take me until the spring semester to get a competitive application together.

So as I was lying in the dark thinking about this dilemma, it occurred to me that I had left something out of my theoretical model. It was one of those flashes of insight that occur when you turn your attention slightly away from the problem-at-hand. You see I had just spent two days working on Solution Grant, where I describe intervening on three levels of a unit but my model only accounts for two levels. Once it clicked the discrepancy was completely obvious but neither myself nor my collaborators had caught it in the grant. By trying to think through what I would need for Theoretical Grant I stumbled upon an important problem in Solution Grant.

Eventually I got up and started working through the model and I am very happy with the progress I made and I am more excited about the direction of my research than ever before. I really want to tackle both issues: solution and change in the theory over time, as they do and should go hand-in-hand. I must admit Theoretical Grant is a little scary but there is no way around the doing of it. I just have to march straight through it. And I will have no better opportunity to devote time to it than the one being given to me this summer. I will do everything within my power to make the fall semester deadline but if it ends up being the spring semester than so be it. Ultimately I have to believe my university will understand it is more important to get it right than to get it in on time and I will have submitted Solution grant by then, so that should count for something.

The long and short of it is (a) I've decided to accept the funding and go full steam ahead with both applications and (b) I'm so excited by this model that I'm willing to put other projects that I have brewing in my research portfolio on hold in order to pursue it.

After working for several hours, it was time to for b and I to go to the store for dinner fixins'. As we walked outside of the house I saw what looked like a significant amount of grey fur in front of the steps. While I feel bad for the mysterious new kitty that succumbed to the wrath of the orange tabby, that cat fight did me a world of good.

Working Hard At Not Working

I took a 3-day weekend off from work. I can't remember the last time I did that without going camping. Technically I cheated a little when I typed up some ideas I had for one of my fall classes, but I didn't want to forget them.

In order to not work I:

• Ran errands--with Pumpkin--for most of Friday. One of those errands was taking TOC to the vet. She had scratched up her face and neck horribly--from fleas we think--and they needed to put her under just to examine her. As she was coming out of anesthesia her heart stopped and they had to do kitty CPR. Luckily they got her back. Now the doctor has sent out blood work thinking something might be seriously wrong with her. b and I both believe they gave her too big of a dose (TOC is a very little cat). Since she's been home she's been living in Pupzilla's old crate in her own room. She is now very happy, comfortable and spry. However she refuses to leave the crate. In many ways she is a brand-new cat. We barely recognize her. b thinks she had a out-of-body experience.
• I also brought a box full of books to our local used bookstore. It is hard for me to believe I've lived in SouthLite and have never visited this bookstore before. I also didn't realize they give store credit for old books. I got $26 worth of credit.
• I used $6 for this book that was on my summer reading list. I've already finished it. It was just ok. I think I truly enjoyed one book by Hegi and have read most of her others hoping to like them as much. b claims I just like reading books by women named Ursula.
• Friday nite was date nite. b and I tried out a new bar (we're always searching for bars that have Guinness on tap) and then had Mexican food.
• Saturday I shopped for food, blogged, cooked and did a small workout.
• Saturday nite b and I rented a really really bad movie. Wish we had read the review first.
• Today I baked a cherry pie. It was my second pie attempt and turned out quite tasty but it won't be winning any beauty awards.
• After all that baking I did a longer workout.

While it was hard at times not to work, it was mostly because work is my default. However I'm not completely immersed in any one project right now, so nothing was really calling to me. Tomorrow I'm back in the office with my summer students.

Brigindo's Menfolk

The guys in my life are having a rough time of it. Every summer b takes a paid vacation in Alaska where he gets to lead a sea-kayaking class for several weeks. It is something that defines him and makes him whole. This year, due to the economy, he was unable to get a contract. He is also in the middle of dental work, which is never any fun but it is particularly unfun to have all your wisdom teeth removed.

The Brute has been to the vet 3 times in the past 3 weeks. He is allergic to flea bites and had turned into quite the scabby and mangy looking cat this winter so we sucked it up and took him for the first appointment. He HATES going to the vet and is quite mean to anyone he meets there. Of course he was behind on all his shots. So the first visit he got flea medication, steroids and antibiotics. A week later he had to go back for rabies and other important vaccinations. In the midst of all this his teeth needed cleaning and he started eating on one side of his mouth (it seems this is a really bad sign in cats as well as people). So the other day he went in for a full day of anesthesia and dental work. He came home sneezing...violently...and hasn't stopped. Did I mention we have to thrust bitter antibiotics down his throat twice daily?

To top it all off Angel is not having a good semester. Turns out taking a lighter load was not a good idea (and I can't even say I told you so) as he is bored out of his mind and less likely to study hard when he has too much time on his hands. He took the lighter load because he is broke and wanted to get a job. His job search was delayed because he needed a new car first. He now has the new car but can't find a job....yeah that pesky economy again. On top of that his new car was broken into once (and his GPS taken) and then his roommate backed someone else's car into his, scratching and denting it. On other fronts, his new fraternity duties are stressful but he's not allowed to discuss them and the martial arts club he was running has been temporarily kicked out of its space with no word on when that will be resolved. Luckily no teeth problems (that we know of...child hasn't been to the dentist in quite a while) but Angel has suffered from terrible acne (we're talking 2 rounds of Accutane--most potent stuff available--and its still there) since he turned 14. He has been diligently caring for his face at college but nothing has made a difference and he hates looking at himself in the mirror.

RBOC: Weekend Edition

• I sat through what had to be the most boring faculty meeting of my life today. Three hours. On top of that I woke up with a sty in my eye so it was puffy and blinky all day.
• Vegetarian lifestyle is going very well. I'm enjoying it far more than I thought and learning new things to cook. I worry about next week when classes start but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it
• We drove down to pick up Angel today. He's home for the long weekend car shopping.
• I finished my 3 encyclopedia chapters and have prepared both courses for the semester, although there is always more work to do on them.
• Pumpkin's internship has turned into a contracted job. She'll be employed and therefore will not even be considering moving away until December.
• I have many many appointments--of the nasty doctor variety--to schedule including a vet appointment for the Brute who has turned into Scabby McSabbington. So far I have only managed to make a hair appointment for next Thursday. That is no small feat however, since my last haircut was in July.
• Angel has reduced his course load for this semester. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
• I really really need my eyebrows waxed but haven't managed to get that done either. I don't have many so-called girlie habits but I really hate it when my eyebrows get bushy. Yet I also really hate going.

A Sad End to an Otherwise Lovely Evening

b came to pick me up from work today. He got off a little early, it was raining, and he had the car. He got to see my new office, which he claims is the best of the three so far. I have to say I've gotten surprisingly comfortable in there (the only downside that I've come across is that right outside my door there is the shredder--loud annoying noise--and the coffee pot--disgusting smell of burnt coffee).

It was a migraine day and even though my meds had started kicking in I thought it best to forgo the dojo. Boy went without me. b made us a yummy dinner of roast chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic-sauteed green beans. After dinner I caught up on my blog reading while b watch Alton Brown.

b came up with the fabulous idea of going out for ice cream. It was surprisingly chilly went we left the house and it was beginning to get dark. We saw the neighbor's kittens playing on the front yard, but they didn't want to come close for any pets or snuggles. We drove over to Ben and Jerry's and then walked around the outdoor shopping center as we devoured our cones--talking about how confusing women's clothing really is and other assorted nonsense.

We drove home and just as we pulled in front of our house the headlights flashed on the body of one of the kittens sprawled in the middle of the road. She must have just been hit. We weren't sure what to do but knew we couldn't leave her there. b went into the house to get gloves to pick her up with and noticed that our neighbor's light was on and suggested I go tell her.

Those of you who have been following along will remember my neighbor and her animals.

I knocked on her door and delivered the sad news. She ran out into the street and picked the little kitten up and brought her back, cradled in her arms. At first she wasn't sure if she was dead, although it was quite obvious. I stayed on the porch with her as she pet the kitten and talked about how much she meant to her. Her dog and another kitten kept trying to escape the house while all this was going on.

It was awkward and sad. I tried to be comforting because I could tell she was truly distraught but I was honestly mad at her for letting her animals out in the first place. She told me that she gave three of the kittens away to a home with dogs and two of them had been killed by the dogs already. She wondered if she should take the third one back now. I really have no idea how to answer such a question. Obviously the kitten wouldn't be safe in either home.

I left her after she placed the kitten's body in a little basket on her front porch. She went inside to get a towel to cover her and asked me to ask Boy if he'd help her dig a hole when he got home. Boy came home minutes later, with tales of a big night at the dojo filled with tournament sparring--it seems he did really well. I told him the story and her request. b was having nothing to do with it. His grief over the kitten had solidified completely into anger. Boy really didn't want to help but, being the good soul that he is, went anyway.

So now the kitten is laid to rest and I can only hope she doesn't get another.

Pupzilla's Bed

Pupzilla has a bed that lies next to our bed. She is not allowed on our bed. The Brute is. Many think this is unfair. I am not one of them.

Although I wash the lining of the bed occasionally it often looks dirty and it smells. (Is it just me or do unbathed dogs always smell like this?).

Before we switched rooms and b built us a new bed, Pupzilla's bed was on his side. He really likes hearing her snore as she lies next to him. However if her bed was on his side it would block the door to the laundry room.

I have bed issues that must drive b crazy, although he is too sweet to admit it. In addition to my insistence on an incredibly firm (hard) mattress, the side of the bed that needs to be mine is decided on by some strange inner sense of place that only I understand. In other words it is not necessarily the right or left side; it is not necessarily the side by the window or the side by the door; but rather is the side that once I see the bed in the room says "Brigindo this is for you." I'm the same way in hotel rooms when there are double beds--one speaks to me the other doesn't. And yes this is another way I channel my mother but I'd rather not discuss it, thank you very much.

So I have the side next to Pupzilla. I get to hear her snore (ok anyone in the room can hear her snore) and I get first whiff of her nightly flatulence.

My side also fits the nightstand--which is good because I have a place for the stack of books that are always there--but is bad because (a) I'm now in charge of the alarm clock and (b) The Brute likes to climb on the nightstand, sit on my laptop, and knock my glasses to the floor when he wants someone to get up and feed him (which can be several times a night).

But this post is about Pupzilla's bed not mine.

The Brute, who believes it is his world and we are all welcome to live in it, has taken to sleeping on Pupzilla's bed. He snuggles right into the middle and starts his obssessive cleaning when she's not there. Eventually Pupzilla comes in and finds him there and is at a loss about what to do. She'll stand over him and glare but he just stares her down. She tried a very low growl the other night but he ignored it. (b made The Brute get up at that point for fear of it escalating). Last night she finally sighed and squeezed herself next to him. He snuggled in closer, gave her face a few licks and then got up and left.

We all eventually learn to give him what he wants.

Making Friends

Meet Victoria.


Victoria has the tiniest little cat feet you've ever seen. She's one of the many cats that belongs to my next-door-neighbor. My neighbor is gone for the week and it is very hot outside. Victoria is lonely. We put some water out for her and she spends her days (and nights) hanging out on our stoop or in the shade of a tree on our front lawn.

Victoria would like to come inside but we don't think that is a good idea. Mostly because our current pets tend towards jealousy but also because we don't think she would ever leave. Not that we aren't very fond of Victoria (and we worry about her a little) but 3 cats and a dog is going a little over the edge. Also Victoria threw up on our steps the other day and having two puking cats in one house is two too many.

Pupzilla and The Brute did say hello through the glass door.


On another note, it seems all the kittens that are going to be adopted have been adopted. Our neighbor told us she has plans to give away the two mother cats so she can keep two of the kittens. This seems cruel and heartless to me. I don't think I could ever give up any animal in my family because someone younger and cuter came along. Sometimes I don't get people.

RBOC: Animal Edition

• The Brute prefers life as an outdoor cat however he is prone to disappearing for days on end and last year he fell off the roof and broke his pelvis. Since then he's been a forced indoor cat.
• He tries to escape frequently, cries at the door and scratches at the window.
• I will not give in.
• We did buy him a harness and a leash.
• Now we tie him to a long leash on a post in the backyard but we need to stay with since he still tries (and has succeeded) to escape.
• We can't leave the harness on him in between his outdoor adventures because he bites at it.
• He struggles a little when we put it on him but then he runs to the back door.
• He is well named.
• We have another cat (let's just call her The Other Cat or TOC) that I never mention.
• TOC is allowed outdoors because she doesn't leave the backyard.
• The Brute HATES TOC.
• He beats her up when she comes in the house.
• She spends most of her time indoors on top of the fridge.
• The Brute is not very good at jumping (or landing for that matter).
• TOC is very small and petite.
• She throws up frequently. We think she's bulimic.
• She's affectionate but will bite you when you pet her.
• Pupzilla and The Brute are close.
• The Brute will often lick Pupzilla. Pupzilla wants to play with The Brute but often ends up stepping on him. As far as we can tell The Brute doesn't seem to mind.
• They both get jealous when the other one gets any human affection.
• Pupzilla has gained some weight and doesn't do well in the heat. Moving to the South has not been good for her.
• Boy and I have been trying to take her on long works everyday. It seems to be working as far as her stamina is concerned but there has been no weight loss.
• The same can be said of me.

Kittens

Our next door neighbor has lots of cats and one small dog. It seems she doesn't spay her female cats and they have frequent litters. At the moment she has two litters just 3 weeks apart. The moms are very protective, as you would imagine, and they appear to be co-parenting.



The kittens are old enough to begin roaming around and frequently wander into our front yard. Our neighbor is generally successful at finding new homes for the various litters but I still find it incredibly irresponsible not to spay your cats. She has gone away for a week and has friends and acquaintances (including our postman) "dropping by" to keep an eye on the kittens. Before she left she told me that the last time she went away and left a litter of kittens someone came by and "swooped" them all up. One of the kittens (the most dominant one in the group) gets along well with her new dog (her last one was hit by a car) so she wants to keep her. She decided to take just that kitten to her friend's house for the week--for safekeeping.



Last night there were thunderstorms and tornado warnings in our area. When b and I went to bed we heard a kitten (the little orange one) crying outside our window. When I got up to investigate I found our other neighbors were already on the case. They located the kitten and brought him in for the night.



Today Boy and I had to drag them out from under Boy's car so he could go to work. I think we're down to 2 maybe 3 kittens (there were 7 originally). I can only hope the mother cats have moved their location (what with all the activity) or others have "swooped" in to rescue them.

Can Anyone Tell Me...

...why cats have to help you make the bed?