Hunting...

Sometimes your luck just runs out. It was a bad night to trap. The weather was too warm. Too many people out and about. Playing basketball and throwing a function at our normal hunting grounds. It was a bit annoying. We did the best we could. We were practically chasing down a few we saw on the street. The tuna was no help with piles of garbage just waiting for guests to rummage through. They were waiting for us humans to go away so they could feed in peace. Maybe if the jobs we do to support our hunting habit didn't get in the way, we would have stayed out all night. It was a tough one to give up. We were able to catch a nice boy in a backyard. He was not happy with us at all. But he'll do fine. I have a feeling that turkey was shared with a few of our feline friends. They were very thankful. And we don't give up. The hunt continues on.

Happy Turkey Day

So I went to the opera last week. I was fortunate enough to get to go. I really do enjoy the 3 hours of singing. It was Cosi tu frutti, a Mozart comedy opera. Thank goodness they used the supertitles to help us non-Italian opera sort of people follow along. The story line is fairly simple enough, 2 boys want to marry sisters. But they are caught up in a bet with a friend that means to prove that all women are unfaithful. The music was amazing. Can't beat being in a room of that size and yet be totally filled with stringed instuments. Makes my heart flutter. But what drives me out of my mind about opera is that a line will be sung 3, or 4 or 5 or even 6 time in a row. Over and over. To prove the point? To get the voice at an even higher level? To make sure it has been understood? To allow for a prop and/or costume change? Who the hell knows. Can't they just cut out the repeated lines and get it over with in an easy 1 and 1/2 hours. No, I will learn to endure it and appreate it. Opera comes but once every few years. I did enjoy every minute of it.

The rest of the weekend was chill. I did my laundry, had drinks with friends, made brownies, finished a research paper, ate the brownies in celebration (nearly all of them, my poor tummy). It was a good day.

The plan is to get out of the city quick this weekend. I really look forward to more of nothing. Well dinner, family, friends, hang out and relax kind of nothing. Funny how easy it is now to be around family when work is so "difficult". Love my job, hate my work. Haha!

That's all for now... enjoy Turkey day!

The hunt continues…

It was a dark and rainy night; we could only hope they were hungry. We decided to use a new trick, clam juice. Not even a feral cat can resist clam juice. Right away we spotted the mother hiding out in the basement windowsill. She watched us with her big eyes, wanting to trust us but still unsure. This was our only chance to help her and the kitten trapped. She apparently had a bad leg, possibly broken. Our hearts were in the right place. This was a task for the Drop Trap. If the mother goes in, the kitten will go next, and then BAM we got them both. It took only 15 minutes and the job was done. As we all got soaked to the bone we were thankful it wasn't colder out. We got each in their own cage and calmed them down quick as possible. A few neighbors stopped by to watch. We taught them our hunting techniques and that the cats were heading the doctors in the morning to be taken care of. They wanted to see the wild beasts and so we let them peak into the cages. They were thoroughly impressed with them, fine specimens, just a little food will plump them up good. Maybe they will be social-able and decide to stay indoors, their choice. We left the mamma and kitten in good hands. Operation "Save Mamma" complete.

My First Trapping

The weather couldn't be more perfect for a night of feral cat trapping. Myself and two other girls met up and prepared for the hunt. It's all about tuna and sardines. Get the smell out there, and the little beauties will come running. We started down the block, getting a few suspicious eyes from the locals. Just a bit unusual for three women walking down the street with big wire traps. So we put down one in a spot known to have cats in the backyard. We didn't see any as of yet. We crossed over and setup another one in a driveway. At that time we were approached by a neighbor who asked us about what happens to the cats after we trap. We explained the TNR (trap-neuter-return) program and how we've already done 6 cats in the area. The neighbor lady explained that she was in the pre-school down the street and two kittens came in just that day. The doors were open because the school was in heat mode, not A/C for the 60 degree November weather. She took us back to the dumpster area where they mostly hide out. We saw two of them right away. Now the hunt really began. A drop trap was setup and within 10 minutes we caught one. Then I put a second trap behind the dumpster. Went inside, chatted with our new friend and then went back to check. The young kitten was in, but the door didn't drop. Our skilled and experienced trapper jumped in and saved the night. We calmed the cats down, got them ready to go and packed up all our stuff. I called in the transport (car service) requesting van type vehicle. We ended up with a sweet ride; these kitties never had it so good. We dropped them off at the "hotel" for recovery, inspection and get ready for the big surgery. Both of them warmed up right away to us and of course loving the baby food we gave them. The other resident cats checked them out and agreed to let them stay. It was a unanimous vote by all.

Worst...

...subway ride ever! Crappy Monday!

Life Soundtrack

This is totally freaky:
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)2. Put it on shuffle3. Press play4. For every title, type the song that's playing5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits: Dakota by Stereophonics
Waking Up: Cupid Come by My Bloody Valentine
First Day At School: Honey by Moby
Falling In Love: Deeper by Soulfood
Fight Song: What Do I Know by Peter Walker
Breaking Up: Disco Science by Mirwais
Prom: Who Will Save Your Soul? by Jewel (VH1 Storytellers version)
Life's OK: Perfect Time of Day by Howie Day
Mental Breakdown: Bouncing Off the Walls by Sugarcult
Driving: Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
Flashback: Must Get Out by Maroon 5
Getting Back Together: Lucy by The Black Crowes (i am sam soundtrack)
Wedding: Distractions by Zero 7 (six feet under soundtrack version)
Birth of Child: Look Back by Sam Ashworth
Final Battle: We Are The Champions by Queen (Live version)
Death Scene: Bones by Radiohead
Funeral Song: Emily, Please by Luke Doucet
End Credits: Today by Smashing Pumpkins