My So-Called Life

Enough about the cat... now other stuff happening in my life. Today I went for a sushi lunch for my buddy's birthday. It was so freakin' good! I love when sushi is that fresh and tasty. Tonight is my mid-term for Money and Banking class. Looking at it now, not fun.



Last week I got to see two theater shows. First was "Pygmalion" with Claire Danes. The show My Fair Lady is based on it. I liked it, but some of the scenes ran long and drawn out. The sets were very cool and lots of details. The 2nd show was "The Rise of Dorthy Hale". It was based on the true-story of a woman in the 1940s who committed suicide and then Frida Kahlo painted her portrait. The show was good, the actress who played Frida was in the movie "The Lady in the Water". She was very good, I like how she played the part.

Marley's progress

Early this morning I was greeted not with biting by a sleeping kitty in my bed. It was the 1st time Marley decided to grace me with his presence while I slept. He had been sleeping on the shag rug or my rug, never far from me, but not with me. It was really sweet and I'm glad he trusts me more than before. Of course he stretched out and slowly pushed me towards the edge of the bed. LOL! Can you imagine, he finds a warm spot and I get shoved off the bed!? =) His thing is to lay out on his back and put his paws in my face. And boy oh boy, he has some smelly breath. sigh

Per the suggestion of my cat knowledgeable friend, I started giving Marley L-Lycine in his breakfast. It is really helping with the crap in his eyes. Guess he had a virus, but even though it didn't get worse, it wasn't getting better.

The funny thing is, I think he has already gained another pound or two. When he trots now his little pouch swings side to side. Too damn cute!

Note about my allergies, they are doing way better now. A bit of it is because I got used to the cat and I think the air filter thingy is helping. I got a Honeywell True HEPA with a silent mode (low setting). It's in my room and I pretty much got used to the noise already. Haven't taken a Claritan in days now.

Feral Cat Saga

The feral cat saga in our neighborhood continues. Some with happy endings and some we are still working on.

Last week myself and 2 other ladies were out like 4 nights trying to catch three kittens. 1=black 1=gray 1=white with black spots The white with black spots, Stewy, was 1st caught. Totally friendly. Second was the gray one, Gizmo, but not so friendly. Finally another lady who had been feeding them got the black one, Underhill. They are all safe and sound.... doing well and hopefully will be adopted out.

Last night I helped a neighbor catch a pregnant feral in her backyard. She just had kittens, maybe like 3 months old and is already pregnant again. Poor thing. Her other older cat is also in the backyard, Jiro (second born son), we will catch him next. The trapping was quick since they were pretty hungry and willing to get close to us while we waited. Got to see the 3-month old kitten that is being adopted by another lady in their building. Cutest little puff of fur! He is black with one small white spot on his chest. His name is Shinju-chan, "cute little pearl" in Japanese. They named the mother cat Suiginmama, which means Mercury Mama.

Finally a cat was being dumped by a woman around the corner from my place. My friend caught the woman and basically grabbed the cat out of her hands. Today a call went into the ASPCA to report it. The poor cat was yowling and howling while the woman pulled it out of the carrier. The cat is about 3-4 years old and would never survive on the streets with winter coming. The cats in our hood already have their territories and would be tough for the new guy to get in. Plus he is fixed... no way to mark his area at all. Poor cat.
UPDATE: The ASPCA will be investigating the cat and the people trying to dump him. Hopefully it sends a strong message in our area about how wrong it is to dump a cat on the street. And the cat is friendly and being fostered at the moment.
UPDATE #2: The "Dumped Cat", DC, has found a great home. A real nice lady with a nice apartment near-by has taken him in. We are sooo happy that it all worked out perfectly in the end.

There have been a few cats who got adopted out to new homes. It helps when they get into loving homes and become wonderful pets (like Marley "the Monster")!

S&H Green stamps

Anyone remember those things? A friend of mine mentioned them during our subway ride into work. And bam a rush of memories came at me. I totally remember going to the grocery store (I think it was Giant) and as we checked out watching how many of those little green stamps we would get. As soon as we got home I would pull out the book and start sticking them in. It was one of those Saturday routine type of things that was exciting as a kid. Now that I do it all myself, not so exciting. Anyway, while talking to my mom I mentioned this memory rush. Funny thing is, she was also just talking about the same thing with her friend while traveling for a conference. (Probably came up while they were shopping). Just did a little hunting on Google, and the company is still in operation. Now its all geared to online shopping. Should I sign up? Won't be as much fun as licking stamps into a booklet, but could get some nice stuff out of it.

Music Industry

During a random morning brainstorm, I was thinking what will bands do when more than 12-15 songs can be put on an album. CDs are basically on the way out, right? Will DVDs replace or just downloading albums from the internet. Either way more songs can be put on the album. No need to make a cut of songs that won't "fit". I asked a friend who is in a band and follows the music industry a lot. He says the industry is dead. Major labels only put their effort into a few bands and the rest are just left to deal on their own. It's true. Pop music and Top-40 chart bands are still the only ones to get radio play. So many bands are out there now attempting to get noticed and at least a fan base. I could go on a tangent about this, but it's too much to explain. It makes me sad to think that the few bands I really enjoy won't be able to continue to tour and make albums because a major label won't give them a boost. Maybe Radiohead will find the solution with their plan to offer their next album at the price that the consumer chooses. What a novel idea.

The Life of Marley

The little monster is doing good. Went to the vet on Saturday for his booster shots. He did not enjoy the experience at all. Poor thing. He did gain 1 pound since we got him. Already becoming a fat lazy indoor cat. Must be nice not to have to chase after your food, huh? He has climbed up on top of everything now, even the fridge as seen here. Also, he is now opening doors on his own. If I leave them open a crack he either barges in or uses a paw to open it to get out. So far the kitchen cabinets still elude him enough that he isn't opening those too. Other than all of that, he is doing real well and I'm happy to have him around. I'm looking at getting an air purifier for myself, the allergies are still pretty harsh. Oh well, it's worth it. =)

SpongeBob

Ohh Who lives in a pineapple under the sea
"Spongebob squarepants"

Absorbant and yellow and porous is he
"Spongebob Squarepants"

If nautical nonsense be something you wish
"Spongebob Squarepants"

Then flop on the deck and plop like a fish
"Spongebob Squarepants"

kitty aggression

What I find truly amazing and annoying is the kitty aggression. Marley has been way more active lately than before. I'm hoping that some cold weather will chill him out. Last night as I sat on the couch and him on the floor, he was finding new and inventive ways to bite my hands. I literally watched his pupils go from normal to HUGE in like 2 seconds. Too bad my reflexes aren't that quick. He got me, got me good. Then he ran away. Little monster.

Bocce Ball!

On Sunday I played league Bocce ball. That's right, I'm on a team. =) It was so much fun. We had 2 games with 3 rounds in each (best 2 out of 3 rounds wins the game). Well, we totally kicked ass and won both games. We didn't even loose a single round. Next we have to get t-shirts or some kind of outfit to wear. Otherwise I'll have to come up with an actual outfit each week to wear to the bar. Usually on Sunday's I just wear what ever is left laying around or something comfy. Not always "cute". Haha. Anyway, gotta do some more practice games to get used to it. I scored a few points for the team, need to work on my stance.


Bocce - Wikipedia

One Night in NYC

Got to see the Montel Williams show taping last night. A friend got tickets (no idea how), and it seemed entertaining enough to check out. Plus it was free. We got there in time and they had served pizza and soda. After a bit of waiting we finally got in to the set. Apparently they tape 3 shows twice a week. That's a crazy schedule. I guess since we were dressed pretty good (straight from work black suits) we got to sit right in the front row. Remember to tape the show "I Shouldn't Be Alive" when it comes on... you will totally see me making a goofy sad face. It was actually a pretty cool thing... Montel was very down to earth, believe it or not. He chatted with the audience a few times and really made the guests feel welcome. Pretty cool.

After that we hit the Maritime Hotel for my friend's co-worker's birthday party. They were so nice. We just ate a little nibble of food and a drink. Sang the birthday song to her and got a cupcake. =) Good times.

Got in late, but thankfully my flatmate fed the monster (Marley). He is doing well, just always hungry it seems. We figure he is going to be a big boy when he grows up.

Creepy Movies

My top 5 creepiest movies:

5. ??
4. ??
3. The Shining (great movie, but freakin' creepy)
2. PeeWee's Big Adventure
1. Nothing But Trouble

What was mine, is now Marley's

Apparently the rule is that everything I once owned is now Marley's. And if he doesn't like where it is, he'll move it. Or bite it. Or knock it over. He was able to take 1 plant down yesterday. Guess it was in his way. Now he can sit on the little table that was used for the plants to get light, and look out the window at a higher vantage point. I'm not keen on his decorating skills, but not much can be done if he is alone for 10 hours a day to work on his art. Oh, and he is no longer a gentle biter. He bites a lot more and harder. I've been using my own type of biting, pinching his neck to get him to cut it out. It's more likely that he is simply laughing at me. At least the laser-light keeps him running around. Also he seems to think 4:30 AM is feeding time. So I get a purring cat face in my face at that time. If only he had a snooze button. That would be awesome!

Litter box

Apparently the litter in the litter box must be in a little litter mound. As soon I clean up and lay down flat again, Marley comes in and pushes into a mountain again. Too funny. By the way, I've crossed over to crazy cat lady for sure. I'm chatting up with Marley when we are hanging out in the apartment.

Good Morning Brooklyn!

It was a bit of a late night last night. Went to the Comedy Cellar cruise show. It was like 4 hours on the Hudson River. We saw the early show and then just hung out looking at the city. It was funny to watch the comedians try to do stand-up comedy when the boat would swing from side to side. Good times.

Marley is doing pretty good. He is getting more and more playful. And a bit crazy. After I feed him he goes bonkers. Running from one room to the next and then to the window to look outside and then comes running back to me. He isn't letting me pet him much now, he just wants to bite and play. I just want him to be more social, which will take some time I guess. I'll take some more pictures. He didn't like the flash much, so I was attempting to take it without, which makes the picture come out blurry. If there is enough light I don't need the flash. Plus I need some pics of him standing up instead of all laying down. Haha.

Tonight going out to dinner with the Aussie before she heads home. Oh man, feels like I'm on the boat still. My monitor is swaying. LOL Ok, back to work.

Marley takes over

Ok, now that Marley is fully awake and fed, he is playing much more. He loves to chew on my fingers, arms, feet... everything. Good thing the vet clipped his claws down. I would have some serious bloody marks otherwise.

Not getting much homework done either. He figured out how to lay across my papers and walk on my laptop. Maybe the prof will accept the excuse that my cat ate my homework.

His appetite is pretty good. Eats everything I put in front of him. The dry food goes down whole, he doesn't bother chewing it. Haha! That's my boy!

It will be tough to leave him tomorrow when I go to work. But for now we are having fun playing and making a mess of the place.