30 Perfect Minutes.....
I had 30 perfect minutes today.
I had a lot of other minutes that were Very Good, to be sure. That first sip of tea in the morning, a Baby Blizzard that was wondrous in it's beauty (until I had to go out, them it was wondrous in it's treacherous driving conditions.), got lots of work done with the two person-dog-wrangling approach, had several long talks with Canada, and I can really, really see light at the end of Tube Tunnel.
I listened to great music, split a steak with Cabel, watched King Lear the Huge rip a Feather-stick (and nearly my hand) in two. I pet Queen Mab, and Venus and Mim went a long ways towards forgiving me this long Dog-related absence. Chatted me some EG chats with other EG friends from around the country, who responded to a letter I wrote the Foundation user-group (another post to be sure). Talked some with Fiends and found a long lost friend from the far past.
All good minutes.
But I got 30 perfect, complete moments, the kind where you know it simply doesn't GET any better. With Magic.
He came right out, and we started playing. I lie on the still not-peed-on futon. And twice he came up with me. He noticed that Venus and Mim play Claws Under The Door, and he Watched. He Watched, looked at me, and Mewed the Question Mew. He trilled at me. He washed his face with his paw, and hung out, and when I had the audacity to check my inbox on Blackberry for too long he Mewed the HEY! mew.
He climbed his cat tree. He batted his ping pong ball filled water dish, he went in and out of the cave. He got very close and I showed him my fingers, and he hissed, but in sort of a habit way, and didn't Cave.
I can't explain what it is like to watch a Creature who has never known love, or anything but fear, start to trust, and love, and watch their eyes fill with wonder.
I love getting to know him. And communicate with him. We played with a couple different mousies, and feathers off a stick, and if he still is wary about getting too close, he no longer worries something bad will happen when I am in the room, but rather something good.
Magic is the one no one wanted, or could take, that the shelter refused, and who had three different homes in under two years, as people realized "HEY! This is like, a half Leopard!!!! I have no clue what I am doing, why doesn't he act like a CAT???"
Another rant for another time.
Tonight I am just happy. I had 30 perfect minutes.
Felt like 5.
Love and Magic,
Lorraine
posted by FabulousLorraine @ 5:48 PM
205 Comments
205 Comments:
Oh, I am such a sooky lala...this made me cry Lorraine. Magic is coming out and staying out. He loves you.
Lorraine, it is such a rush to be able to be so happy for someone else's accomplishment. I hope someday that 30 minutes feels like 30, rather than flying past.
What a lucky lucky kitty he is, to have found you. Everything happens for a reason.
Sookly lala? I may steal that, Sally!
And, you got to be first.
You may steal it, its a phrase used quite often around here.
Yah, number one.
He's learning how much of a blessed and loved kitty he is. And he's starting to believe it.
You have a huge heart, Lorraine.
That's wonderful to hear about Magic! He sounds like he's becoming a happy kitty.
I bet Cabal was one happy guy with a shared steak dinner!
sounds blissful!
tearing up. This is wonderful.
Yay! \o/ Trilling and Asking Mew and coming up on the futon are big, big, BIG. Well, it's all big, but those were my favorites. Soon he'll be nosing your finger, surely! Cats must sniff. They can't help themselves.
I want to see some video of this big boy. That's a way down the road yet, I expect. :)
I have been trying hard to catch up with chatty fiends for a week, and I think this is an excellent post to return to.
30 perfect minutes sounds heavenly. I bet that Magic thought those minutes weren't so bad either!
It's a good thing that you're around to make a difference for your Creatures. ;)
So, FiendStravaganza, whatever, please keep in mind that I will be happy to pick people up/drop them off and all that business. I'm kind of madly excited for June!
*sniff*
truly beautifully wonderful
30 Perfect Minutes.
How wonderful life would be if we all had even that each day!
Wonderful wonderful Magical tale! Sounds like pure bliss. Living in the moment indeed!
I live rather near the train station so I can do some shuttling for anyone arriving there.
That made me happier and my whole day better, just for having read it. What a wonderful thirty minutes (and wonderful you, for tending to a cat no one else was apparently quite ready for).
More delurkers
mwahahahahah
Ariandalen - spicy brains are here.
Oh goody, Boss is almost on his way home. This means we should hear more from our Fablo?
awww sweetie, that is just spectacular, what a grand feeling that must have been. can i ask what eg stands for? and hurrah for the end of the tube tunnel! congrats on working your magic on magic!
sooky lala? love it sally! and welcome pete!
Wonderful wonderful wonderful!
Love love love hearing about Magic!
Ahhh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who teared up. Great post, had to read fast to get to the end! Maybe you should be named Magic.
Janet
Thanks All! And thank you Pete for de-lurking and saying that, means a lot to me. And welcome.
EG stands for Early generation, in Bengal talk. By the time they are four generations away from an Asian Leopard, they are considered domestic or SBT (I think)
F1, which is what Magic is, and F2 and F3's are considered Early generation, or foundation stock. The makes are mostly sterile at F1 and F2 and sometimes F3.
Magic is half cat and half Asian Leopard. EG's are a lot more work than the later gen Bengals and need a lot more expierence.
It's funny, I just told Paul that I had to go check up on my Boss, and then said, why bother, I'll look at my comments, he will have Twittered and thy will know before I do...
Thanks Janet, YOU found him and gave me the chance to prove I could, you know....
I am going to think about that thought for a long time, 30 perfect minutes....
What a wonderful gift, Lorraine. For you and for us. I get such a charge out of his progress. Thank you for taking us along on this journey of yours. You were both so scared and nervous in the beginning. Now look at you! Beautiful.
And I'm with Aleta. Think of how wonderful life would be if we each found a special 30 minutes every day.
You'll hear from me until he GETS here, as I try and stay awake.....
Even One perfect minute a day.....Or one moment where you are completely happy, and take the time to acknowledge it and say so.
I knew what EG meant!! I've learned something here! Now I can go to bed!
12 degrees, some 50 mile per hour winds. Blizzard? I guess!
Ah, it is the MALES that are sterile, not the makes.
Must take Doofus out. No mean feat when the windchill is currently near -30. ACK!!!!!!!!!
Janet, I have a feeling most of us could be called sooky lala fiends when it comes to pets
Lorraine, get ready - sending you a blast of hot air over the interwebs..1,2.3
ajpsoeduthqwp9485ty2qw
O.O
That was my incoherence at the thought of -30.
The temperature here right now is -14. I steadfastly refuse to look at what the windchill is.
Going to be colder tomorrow....Here in the North, says Nanook...(my Eskimo name you know)
I ran out of the blue stuff that cleans the windshield today, and had to put more in and had no gloves on me. HA! tell you that won't be happening again!
(HANS can fill up the blue stuff!)
Ahhhh
*wibbles with awwwww happiness*
That. was. perfect.
What a lovely thing to read right before bed.
Yeah- windchills are getting fierce tonight, expect the (non windchill) temp to be about -20 by morning.
Get Doofy Dog- what I always call mine- in and out fast fast fast.
I hope Boss drives safely- he sounded tired, and the drive will be LONG in these conditions, but the freeway should be -pretty- good...still, a lot of ice o the road.
Oh and wooh! The Lutherans across the street are getting their snow plowed and cleared now- not at 2:30 in the morning, which is usual.
Thinking about having to take the dog out makes me happy that I live in the time and place of indoor plumbing for humans. I have lived without it in a couple of situations and I would again if need be, but tonight I am very grateful to have it!
Good for you! And good for him!
Yowser. Your poor hands.
A friend in Adelaide just told me its 41C in the shade there, and her sheets dried in 3 minutes. She's orginally from Canada, so you can imagine how she is feeling right now
These insane temperatures Fiends are experiencing, and Aleta's comment makes me wonder - how did the pioneers in our countries cope with these extremes?
Our plow is outside now and poor Doofas is too doped to even get up and bark at it. THAT is doped...
-20 by morning , eh???? Very sad that is. MY steps and sidewalk will not be plowed.
Boss is still on his way home, way slow Hwy's...I made him refrigerator soup tho, so he will get warm and fed.
(you've been there, all the slightly old veggies, some stock, couple of chicken breasts frozen in the back of the freezer, little Thai chili paste, some rice noodles, BAM! Dinner in 10...)
And why didn't Laura Ingalls Wilder tell us how they went to the bathroom in the long winter????
Thy were never warm, she told us that...And twisted hay sticks to burn for the fire when the wood was gone.
Must stay awake....
Yum, they are the best soups of all.
It's easy to romanticize our pioneer ancestors and their country way of life, but I'm thinking Darwinism would've come into play a lot and "survival of the fittest" would've been the rule of the day. I'd long have been dead from pneumonia by now if I lived in an unheated cabin. But I love the look of old rustic things. Go figure.
Any place for Cabal to go inside? Mud room? Newspapers in bathroom? I know he's a sturdy dog, but that exposed flesh on his leg is going to be vulnerable. I can't let my doglings out when it's below 30 or so... they pee inside in their room and it just can't be helped. They want to go out, but struggle to move as soon as they're off the step. 4 to 7 pound shorthair dogs just don't do cold.
No blizzards here... we're supposed to get an inch or so.
I'll tell you how, Q. Very carefully!
I'm starting to see Coraline commercials on my television. The first made it look a little like standard family fare, the second made it look a lot spookier (and was a lot more true to the film!)
I'm excited to watch it again.
I wonder whether the toliet procedure then would have been the potty/bucket? Eww, the smell inside a small cabin with large families would have been revolting
On an entirely different topic.
At the local shops they have a reptile display this week for the school holidays. I got to pat and stroke the most gorgeous little python. I was so pleased when a young girl, would have been 6 or 7 came straight up and was 'all over' the snake. She even put her hand up to his head and giggled when the tongue tickled her. Her dad said she loves reptiles and is fearless. It was really cute.
Well, Sally, I'd imagine they'd throw it out. No matter how cold it was, I think you could open the door for a few seconds to do that.
I hope. *makes a face*
(On your unrelated note: I used to have a pet snake. I loved that thing!)
When I was younger I desperately wanted to live in the romantic past. And then I realized my asthma would have killed me inside of ten minutes. So now I'm glad to live in the future!
I always laugh when people talk about how awful the past was. In a hundred years, our descendants will be asking how we ever survived these times.
Humans have always looked back with scorn. It's kind of funny, if you think about it. I think cavemen with fire scoffed the raw food eaters.
;-)
Oh I love snakes so much. They are very comfortable pets. One of my uni roommates had one and I'd 'snakesit' by letting her (the python, not the roommate) drape over me while I did my programming homework. I used to have some great pictures of her framing my laptop screen, too.
I'm better with pets that let me know when they need to be fed, though. Otherwise I keep /intending/ to do it, but... well, let my record with plants speak for itself. Oops.
\0/
::happy dance::
::Happy Dance::
::HAPPY DANCE::
::singing::
Oh ho ho it's Magic
You know-ow-ow!
Never believe it's not so!
It's Magic!
You know-ow-ow!
Never believe it's not so!
Oo-oo-oo-oo!
New fiends, too!
::Big Grin::
Hi-i-i-i-i, Lakritz und Schokolade!
Hi-i-i-i-i, Uisge!
Hi-i-i-i-i, Pete!
Do ya'll like to play? I have nice, one-size-fits-all jackets for each of you. Hee hee hee hee.
::sniff::
::sniff, sniff::
::SNI-I-I-I-I-IFFFFF::
Aaaaahhhhhh.
SPICY!!!!!!
MWHAHAHAAHAHAHA
Goodness, Adriandalen has lost it again! That GIRL!!!!!!!
But.
But.
But.
You said I could have my way with any new fiends that delurked.
::BIG eyes::
::sniff::
Besides. You have to have it first before you can lose it.
;)
omg wow that was awesome!!! i'm not even a cat person but i am so caught up in the magic, venus, mim, lear and mab show i can't stop reading.
(by not a cat person i mean i've only ever had dogs due to my mother being really allergic. nothing against cats and cats seem to love me. except for the crotchety old cats my uncle had, but that might have been because i was 5 and pulled their tails)
Ariandalen, that's the truest thing EVER
*snort*
Awwwwwwwww Magic. He's SO close to that first sniff! And he had a whole conversation with you too!
Just the kind of happy news I needed to hear after a cruddy day!
Yow! -30??? Cabal definitely needs a leg warmer/cosy.
Hopefully Boss is home safe and sound now. Your weather there scares me.
Didn't Laura Ingalls Wilder mention they had an outhouse? I read that whole series but it's been yonks..
I said the next one! Not ALL of them forever more, my dear!
Still, you amuse me. Play as you will.
I am glad everyone likes the Bengal stories. I like writing them. Maybe I grow up and writes a book, eh? All my friends write books. How hard can it BE????
I am home now in the Spooky House, and going to sleep in my own bed! Boss has had soup and was last seen crawling into his new floor bed with a very happy Cabel by his side.
I should go to bed, but it is so nice to be home and know I am GOING to bed, I just want to savor it, if you see what I mean.
Boss was really grateful for all the Cabel care, which made me happy too. Cabel was really grateful I had managed to make Boss appear again (he doesn't really GET how these things work)
I can just imagine Cabel's joy at seeing his hooman.
Enjoy being home and playing with the pussycats..and own your bed. Nothing better than getting home to your own bed and pillow
She never mentioned it in the series, Mistress. Sorry you had such a bad day and happy you have us to come home to.
It's strange to think on Laura, the time she lived thru, going from a really tiny log cabin in the woods, and traveling in a covered wagon, to seeing cars, and tv and phones. Her daughter ended up flying all over the world...
I suppose it's like us (well, most of us) When I was growing up, younglings, we had RECORDS, no cd's, and VCR's no DVD's and only 6 TV channels, and no remotes!
And get this..NO INTERNET!!!!!! No e-mail, nada!!!!!!
And when I was very young, Long Distance phone calls were a Big Deal....
And phones had CORDS and no one had cell phones!
Er, chamber pots, people. With lids, at least (usually). Tucked neatly under the bed.
When the alternative is going outside in the cold, it suddenly sounds much more appealing. (And think of the joy of a -20 toilet seat. See my point?)
Lorraine, that's just thrilling!
Well that happy 30 minutes put a big smile on my face.
Such love!
I also laughed about Cabal being grateful because you made Boss appear once more.
Nightey night.
You had 6 channels Q? We had 2. And dirt roads.
And phones that had a dial, and you rang the exchange to make a phone call
hover...you wouldn't sit on the seat, you would hover. and speed.
and sooky lala is an awesome phrase. love it.
oh and about records... i worked in a music store. i used to want to throttle the kids who come in and would ask for some cd and i would say something like "that album isn't out until tuesday with the new release" and the response was always... "i don't want an album i want a cd" ugh. kids.
and just so you know, i didn't have a tv in my room until i was 28. we didn't have cable, in fact i remember when cable was an option in town finally. so meh, *shakes cane* i marvel at my friends who buy their young children cell phones. now excuse me while i go buy more gadgets...
I had records. I kind of miss the great artwork (and the ability to actually READ the lyric sheet.;)
Heehee. Not just phones with cords, phones you had to DIAL. I remember thinking our first push-button phone was ultra swanky. lol
Phiala - you're exactly right, chamberpots. Like I said, it's been yonks.
To bed I go.
Future fiends are safe.
Mostly.
CX
I kind of miss not getting to have a RECORD, tho I agree with my Flash Girl Bandmate Emma who says, there are Cd's and LP's and an ALBUM is a collection of songs.
Our first cd did have a cassette option.
I am really looking forward to doing some solo recording this year and having it ONLY available online. How things change....
I shouldn't say this, but Venus is so happy she is SNUGGLING beside me here on the couch..
Morning Nathilie! How is all in Rome this morning?
So that must be Venus I can hear saying "mine, she's all mine, mwahahahaha"
Damp and promising a pissy day. But I shall be stuck all day in a meeting, so do not really care.
Also I got myself a nice thermos bottle at Giftmas to carry around my own tea for when I am stuck in meetings (we have machines but the stuff they try to pass of as tea is horrid) so the day should be fine.
Check out this post for total artsy coolness!
This is wonderful to read! Yay Magic!
Cool link indeed..
Venus is behaving REALLY weirdly, may need advice from Janet, Adri and Cat Coach on this one...
I think she is doing the equivalent of coming into heat, despite being spayed, an early spay, which I wasn't comfortable with at 12 weeks.
She lays on her back and wants her tummy rubbed, but the ATTACKS me, and she wants it rubbed kind of you know where, if you get my drift. I stop and remove the claws, then she goes and attacks Mim.
It's sort of coning to a head tonight, she is jumping up and attacking me, going right down to her on the back grab me position , then fleeing when I get myself out.
Then comes back and is sweet again. Don't know if this is from me being gone, or something else. It started before I left for the weekend....
I just emailed, Q. Weird Bengal Behavior (tm) for sure.
I wonder if she has just realized there are 2 males in her domain?
You did Adri, and it IS really weird. She is seriously Freaked....I don't THINK she will hurt Mim, but she is stressed, and has drawn blood.
More tomorrow, I will see what happens, but am not liking this..She is the sort who will always need more..
HOW did I end up with all these kitties who need SO much. Mim is crying now..
Fods I am desperate tired and these two are in meltdown...
I know this is hard advice right now, but try to relax and stay calm. It's been a long weekend for everyone. Can you have a bath or shower and bring one of the two of them into the bathroom with you?
Right now they are probably feeding off of each other's anxiety and yours as well.
eeesh. kitty hissy fit. much hugs.
Twitting cartoon...
This post made my heart go all melty.
There's probably an astrology joke to be made there in this Venus situation...
What a wonderful post to wake up to! The progress you have made with Magic in such a short time is amazing, and I'm so happy both for you and for him that he found you in time.
Sorry to hear Venus is freaking - I'm afraid I don't have any very constructive advicde to offer - I'd guess reaction to you having to be away with Cabal - hope she calms down soon.
Agreeing with Janet. You're every bit as magic as Magic. What a cool story of your 30 perfect minutes. So much healing. So much emotion. It's amazing.
Also, if the Laura talk means there are fans amongst the Fiends, click here for a terrific LIW newsletter.
Venus has Mercury in retrograde?
What lovely news to wake up to! So happy for you, Fablo, and for Magic. Hope you got some rest finally!
A perfect post to cheer me up at lunchtime, I got a little misty-eyed too (lucky the office is quiet!). You should be known as the Fabulous Bengal Whisperer, I think (also the Cabal Comforter - glad he is on the mend too. I went walkies with one of Cabal's greek relations from the dog shelter in Skiathos this summer, oh I wanted to adopt him & bring him home. Need a house to fill with needy pets, my 3rd floor apartment won't do!)
Good point about taking the time to acknowledge those moments when you are completely happy. And sometimes even a very simple thing can be really uplifting, there really are a lot of those moments when you stop to take notice. On my route to my old workplace someone had written on the pavement 'look up at the sky'. Those days when I had my head down it always made me pause, take a deep breath, take in the view of the sky, and smile and be thankful :o)
That's great! 30 perfect precious minutes.
This is the kind of post the I love returning to after being gone for a couple of weeks, hanging out with 100+ writers.
30 perfect Magical minutes. Can't ask for more than that, but I have a feeling that more perfect minutes are coming your way.
I just returned from my 10-day residency in Maine, which I have to do twice a year as part of the Stonecoast MFA program. They have a great "popular fiction" track as well as poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. It was an amazing 10-days! Best residency ever. It was the first time that I felt knowledge sinking "in" rather than deflecting "off" my thick skull. Yeah~!
I missed you guys! I missed Lorraine's updates! And I missed these cute little kitty stories.
YAY!!!!!! The redemption of Magic! Nothing is nicer than seeing love and trust in your fuzzy friends' eyes and knowing that while all are different species, they know you, and know that you are OK. This would be a great book or story, cat people would eat it up. Don't lose that idea!
You are my kind of woman if your idea of 30 perfect minutes is with a cat. Having just lost my 12 year-old Abyssinian Qitou to chronic renal failure, I am reading and crying at all things cat. In a good way, of course :-)
This is really wonderful. Really and amazingly and deeply wonderful.
Morning, Fiends!
That's fantastic news about Magic, Quiche. Hope that Venus gets herself sorted out soon, though.
Ariandalen, why am I picturing you tormenting thefreshly delurked Fiends, Hells Kitchen-style?
Over here at Saltmine U., I'm very glad that it's Not Monday, and that I have coffee.
30 perfect minutes. Getting to know Magic as he becomes the cat he was meant to be is a miracle to be treasured. Congratulations.
(And congrats on getting sleep in your own bed. Few things more soul soothing than that.)
Hello Jane, thank you and welcome! I send you hugs about Qitou, I know how hard that is!
Just being with him and watching him IS perfect...
Too early for deep thoughts. Miss Venus learned a thing or two this morning! Janet says it is not Bengals behavior of CAT behavior , Dominance issues.
I've been gone, smell like a dog (to HER anyway) She has these new cats around.
We've seen how she has to be on top of Mim.
Sleeping was fine , and lovely last night, Mim at the foot, Venus further up. Until she resettled this morning and CHPOMPED!!!!!!!
Not a gentle nip, CHOMP. Mama Kitty reached down, grabbed her by the scruff, picked her up and LOOKED.
Baby Kitty slunk off.
I have adventures before I even get UP these days...
More tea, Morning all!
Morning, Q. Hope you make it through breakfast uneaten.
Morning!
Man, I bet that's the LOOK that's launched a thousand airline employees :)
Many congrats on the Magic minutes, it is very, very cool to be able to see the story unfold.
I am thinking Miss Venus is feeling more secure in her place now.
Magic was sweet this morning.
I have to go to work, which is fine I like my work. I like my Boss. I like the things we are going to do today.
I feel good. I've had tea. But between NOW and WORK I have to Go Outside and get there and my car is really far away, and it is REALLY FREAKY cold out. Way below zero, both temp and windchill.
Ok, so my car is parked in front of my house. But this time of year that is WAY too long to be outside.
LOL@Arwenn... I'll bet you're right about that! I've summoned The Look most often for my dogs, but unleashed it on a roofer a couple of years ago. It's such a versatile tool. :-D
Did northern fiends get snow? There's an inch or less in Indy... insanely windy 'tho.
5-6 inches of new white stuff here in yesterday. Supposed to get more today in between spells of Freaky Cold.
I think some people are about to get That Look in my 9 am meeting.
The below zero temps are coming East. I miss summer.
I hope you make it to your car, Q! No frozen Quiche!
I suppose teleworking is not possible? Then you could do your work from your warm couch and get kitty snuggles too.
The Look - I've heard of this look from teacher friends. Some can freeze a preteen in its tracks from thirty paces.
I suspect the storm system we had over the weekend is what's blowing through the plains now. We got about 4-5 inches. Then we were supposed to get a thaw over the next few days, but they've called that off. Strangely, I'm relieved - I was worried where all this snow would GO in such short time. ???
Erin Underwood, I also miss summer. I'm in Rhode Island getting ready for two below zero. Sigh.
You GO, Mama Cat. Chompage is unacceptable.
I suspect Magic is really a big puddle-o-wuv on the inside. :) Leopard love, that is. But still.
I hope you made it to the car and places warm! It's only snowing gently here, and about 35 degrees-- I still don't want to go out.
(Don't hate me because it's above freezing. Soon it won't be. :D )
Erin - the residency sounds cool. I miss that about grad school-- hanging with a bunch of other writers doing the same thing. Good times. :)
(Sure, I wax nostalgic, but you don't see me going back for an MA...for one thing, I'd have to retake the GRE. Which would mean reteaching myself algebra. Again. Argh.)
No one died in the meeting. Hurrah.
It will be 88°F here today. I promise to enjoy it for all the Fiends stuck in cold weather. :)
Thanks, Val. There will be tears on my part.
Val, congratualtions on not killing anyone. :-))
88 F! Awesomeness. My monstress and I are traveling to Orange County in 48 hours. We're pret-ty darned excited about packing shorts!!!!!! And we thought 10 F today was getting pleasant...
Oh, hey, Na -- where in Orange County are you headed? And yes, bring shorts. And sinus medication, as the Santa Anas are blowing.
Aahhh, Santa Anas. I wonder if we will, in fact, just feel so hot we can't move. Maybe should back the bathing suits, too... such decadence in January.
We're headed to Aliso Viejo. I remember when that part of the world was just rolling, fire-prone grass-covered hills... Where are you Val?
Sounds like you have worked it out with Venus. You are the momma after all! (I was a bit worried about this as I was falling asleep last night!)
Where do I live? Why, this is a question for the Skull Map!
I know Aliso Viejo fairly well, as I will be driving right through it on the way down to the studio on Saturday.
Jess, luckily Stonecoast only cares if you can write well. I never had to take the GRE and prove that I can also do math. Oi! I might not have been admited. Haha...
Oh heck Na- you're leaving the Alberta Clippers for the Santa Anas?
......
Can I come?
Sure, Beez! We need transporters...
Val, I once thought your nick of the woods was the last spot of metropolis before one crossed the desert wilderness. Where's your studio? I'll have a car, so will be mobile. We could stop for a cuppa. I'm helping my brother and his family move, but I don't think there's a set schedule 'til Monday.
Meanwhile, it's snowing here. Again. This trip is going to seem surreal.
Touching on a subject from last night, why am I still being charged for having a touchtone phone? Does anybody even still use a true rotary dial phone? If anybody knows, it would be fiends. Not that the charge is that much monthly, it's just irritating.
Oh, the convolutions of AT&T bills.
We only had two stations, and we didn't get a color television until I was around 12. AND, I remember watching "Romper Room" at my grandmother's; she received the DFW stations.
I think Lorraine actually bought one of these antic bakelite phones with a dial...
But I think if you want to use you have to get it wired up to beep!
We had 3 channels by the time we got a TV - the TV was colour, but only because my dad and his friend had taken it to pieces and added some extras - it started life as B&W!
Quichie- nice job on the sarcasm!
Ooh, snap, Quiche! :D
I seem to remember the firt thing of yours I read, Q, was the day in the life, about luring Boss out of bed with tea... Did he get tea as well as sarcasm today? (I loved the bit in Bossblog about how neither you nor Merry Housekeeper were even slightly phased at the prospec of his remaining in bed forever!)
Yes, kudos on the snap! :)
All our first tvs were kits my dad assembled. I remember our first remote. I thought it looked like a Star Trek communicator. A little shaped plastic box with a perforated-metal top. It had one clicker for changing channels, and one clicker for the volume.
I was getting mighty confused for a moment about this talk about you being sarcastic and me going through your comments and thinking I must have missed one. Then the penny (finally) dropped and so I went over to NG and saw what all this was about. And it's been twitted about too.
About time I went to bed.
Byeeeeeeee...
You weren't the only one that was confused, Nathalie. The feed for new Bossblog hasn't made it to LJ yet. I had to go to the original, too.
My brother and I were the remote controls for the television while our parent's house was home. I didn't get to watch "Dark Shadows," even though it was on after school, because I had to practice piano. I was all of six and a half.
I too had to go searching..but it was worth it for the giggles.:)
Yes, no remote control until - parent's current TV, I think. (And no TV in my edroom even now)
The first 'remote' I ever saw was one my grandfather made..a dial for changing channels and another for volume. It was connected to the tv by a loooong cable. He was an electronics whizz, and way before his time.
Oh, Bossblog was very amusing. Quiche, you are firing on all cylinders today.
Darn it, I forgot I have to follow FOUR lines of conversation now.
Well, at least we're never alone.
Even when we are.
:)
(thanks for the fuzzy pink file in the fuzzy pink cake, whoever sent that. I've escaped now.)
i only have a tv in my bedroom now becuae i don't have a couch, so no point in putting tv in livingroom.
my granparents had 2 tv's and one had a remote ona wire and the other had a big chunky one that wenk "kerchushhhh" when you changed the channels.
and in a related noise thing. i hate 24 because of the "bink chushhh bink chushhh" thing they do with the clock. UGH. now i remembered why i stoipped watching. the duh look wiht split screen and the bink chushhh
*mwah* everybody...happy day i have popcorn :)
good eeeeeeeevennning my fellow fiends. I'm so sorry to have been gone for so long and have indeed missed the fiendishness goings on BUT...
I have great news (besides my crashed computer now fixed as of tonight)
On Saturday; I will recieve my first Bengal foster!!! Whoot! I took the plunge and after much deliberation and still some reservations; I'm going thru with it. My boy is named Aspen. Hope he shows up. I'll send pix.
I'm enthralled by Magic and while it would be waaayyyy beyond (the talent's of a first year LOL) my ability;I'm cheering you from the safety of the sidelines. GO YOU!!!
Stacy, that is brilliant news.
Even more Bengal adventures for us all...how lucky are we all
Na! Aliso Viejo isn't that far away!!! We could meet up if you like!
I was confused too until I kept reading the comments and went to see what was up. LOL! N's lucky Lorraine didn't apply The Look and haul him up by the scruff of his neck (for his own good, of course).
Cabal would probably enjoy the whole let's-not-bother-to-get-up idea. My guys wanted out every 5 minutes today, possibly sensing they'll not be allowed out tomorrow (too cold).
Stacy, that's fantastic! Na, I have two studios: one at my house; the other in Encinitas. Email me, and we'll see about having coffee. We should all hang.
Hurrah Stacy! Another foster child.
Maureen, my pupper still thinks all the snow is the most fun in the whole wide WORLD, runs through drifts like a maniac....despite my sometimes...erm, strenuous urgings to "get back in here dumb dog, Mom's freezing".
I see Boss is contemplating driving Dog southward. What a fine plan.
We should all be so lucky *glares a lil' at Na*
Val, Stacy, marvelous! Emails and fb messages on the way.
*ducks Beez' glare*
Meant to add to Stacy, heartiest of congratulations and best wishes with Aspen.
Oh Stacy! That is the BEST news ever!!!!! Very happy to help you all I can!!!! Anytime...Still at work, proper chat later.
I'm just jealous. :P I'm flying to Philly tomorrow and driving a friend back here, so travel through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and back to Minneapolis.
Too lateral a trip to be a warm weather anything, and I suspect this front will be right out there with me.
You can't be cracking that whip very loudly Q, Boss keeps twittering
all you hot weather lusters can have it! i hate the heat; hate it! not sure how well i'd do having to wear everything i own just to go outside to get the mail though... heehee
Oooh, Beez, safe travels out there. There's more subzero and snow a-comin' your way, if what we've got today is any indication. :( 'Tho this weather ought to be making polar bears happy.
Good lord, i hate getting a day behind! Amazing 30 minutes, incredible.
Chomping, not good...kitty scolding kitty, good.
Negative temperatures, evil.
I feel guilty for having nice weather! Come visit me fiends!
Maybe boss should come out and visit mike at google ...long drive though!
Stacy, i can't wait to see new bengal pics!
I heard back from Jonathan Coulton's PR chick but don't have an interview set up yet, hopefully he's not too booked to sit down with me.
Ben's in the bath. Have to figure out what i'll cook for dinner tonight. The fridge is pretty lacking on tuesday since wednesday is farmer's market day.
Ok tea lovers, who makes the best electric kettle? I just do the stovetop kettle and didn't want to take up the counterspace with yet another appliance but like the idea of hot water so quickly.
I finally get caught up and then you get quiet!??!
I have to go schlep my happy ass home in a minute, and am trying to get out the door. ;/
I have a BUNN. It's a coffee maker I guess; but the water in the resevoir stays hot so you get instant hot water
Didn't go quiet, got distracted by FB and T
Still at work, home soon....
Yay Stacy! \o/ Good on you.
Keeping fingers crossed for you Chantrelle-- I'd like to read that interview. :) I would also like an electric kettle. No helpful information to offer, unfortunately-- I just want one. Stop presses.
Back on the changes over time, I have to share a story: I gave all my old Barbie stuff to my niece. As she was going through it, she held something up with a very puzzled look and asked me, her mom, and my mom what it was.
It was a Barbi-sized record player, with movable arm and several 'records'. She was really confused why anyone would want something like that instead of a CD.
Stacy, congrats on the foster-boy! I hope things go well for both of you.
Um, Beez, you forgot a state in your list. Illinois and Ohio have a state between them, you know *hrumph*
Do be careful, the weather has been nasty (but I'm sure you already know that ;-)
Chantrelle, I have a Proctor Silex one I really like. It holds about a liter and heats up quickly.
I'm just getting caught up - after being off work for a week thanks to death and illness, work today sucked and I've apparently lost patience. Good thing my cow-orkers can't hear me over IM ;-)
With all the delurkers coming out of the rafters and the shadows I thought I might as well. I got linked to your blog a while ago by Birdchick.
I just wanted to let you all know how much of an inspiration you all are. I hadn't really realized how much I was letting my abilities and my mind stagnate until I came here and started reading about how much you all do. So, thank you all very much. I plan on getting back to the things I want to be doing asap.
Lorraine, thanks for posting wonderful posts like this. There are some hard things going on right now and it is very good to come on and read posts that are so full of hope, love and magic.
Arian, You can have some of my spicy brains in trade for some of your succulent soul.
Hi Eve! More lurkers-turned fiends; lovely!
No stagnation here - we all try to keep our brains spicy. :)
--
Changing the subject completely:
Can I have a disintegrator whip like the ones on Dr Who? Please? Dan? I could SO use that...
--
Changing again:
Snow swirls, lights white-wreathed,
Flakes brush lips, taste of dreams lost.
Chilled, I walk towards home.
(Been saving stuff up...)
beez, be careful (hey a few hours north of the border and you could come visit me in west michigan! we have snow and cold and you will feel right at home!)
i have serious jealousy for those who can flee for warmer weather with their dogs. humph. also for those who need sarcasm to arise from the bed.
Lorraine, hope the chomp didn't cause damage - good for you for being alpha!
Eve! Welcome (she says in her best Wall.e voice)
Na; looking for you on FB. Let me know; boy is now coming on Sunday. Hope that leaves time for a fiendish gathering!
Eve, welcome! I am so glad you de-lurked. If you read here, and like it here, you belong here.
Stacy is getting a bengal foster!!!!!
I'm doing a new post, but Dr Wicked is going to call soon and we need to talk about site, which is REALLY close....
HOW am I going to read all this chatter??? Had NO time today, if I were on Octopus I could have kept up..
I've stopped trying very hard to keep up with every single comment. I wish I could.
How wonderful, Stacy! Will you blog about how things turn out with the fostering?
If it's any consolation, Q, I for one haven't been chattering anything that exciting.
Hi, Eve! :)
Also, welcome to the Fiend-dom, Eve.
I think this is the right post - I've read so many comments I'm no longer sure.
I have a red dial phone with a cord attached to it. An old fashioned dial phone - not a slim line or princess or anything. When the power goes off, I can make telephone calls, and no one else can. Ha, sez me.
Snowing again. 9 degrees, on its way down. I ache in several places, and could just put my heady down and cry. Methinks I'm staying put tomorrow, and resting.
Eve - you are so right about this being a safe haven from the storms of life, and an encouraging one and a place that makes you want to be the best you that you can be, in whatever you do. Would that I could remember that every day when working with minions wot need to be swatted, and cow-workers, too. Bleh to them all.
The weather guy said this morning, in his cheerful morning voice "We aren't even a month into winter yet!" stoopid weather guy....
Oh, and I had to get all snarky today because someone set up meetings as bi-weekly meetings when really they are semi-weekly meetings. Two times a week is semi-weekly. Every other week is bi-weekly. Read the dictionary people.
Snerk.
Fod, I love how I can kill a post.
Data Goddess- how could I have left you out? I usually use the southern tri-state to stay away from the Driving Hell That Is Chicago.
*hugs Siri*
Stay home and warm, put your head down and cry if you need to.
*hugs* to Siri. You do not kill posts. You make them better.
I am way restless and kind of angry and puzzled at the moment. Y'all are like a nice soothing cup of tea. Thank you.
(off to pace around and worry, like a fool)
FIRST and most important part of post: CONGRATS, STACY!!! Another Bengal saved....wowzers. And way to be a good influence, Quiche!
Next I had a paragraph or two on secondary and tertiary meanings/usages of biweekly and bimonthly....but after rereading Siri's posts, I'd rather send warm lavender bubble bath thoughts and hugs instead.....
Whew - I'm not alone in a snow-swept world...
BA - Spill - how can we help?
Lys - lavender bath was last night, and I can still smell hints of it....sighhhhhhhh
And ANOTHER lavender bubble bath goes out to BA....stop pacing and get your tucus in there, sweetie!
Alternatively, tell us who we can either beat up or send karmic wave vibes (depending on our inclinations) on your behalf?
Completely changing the subject..
I'm watching the Mentalist right now, and have had to turn the sound off. They have a "Witch, which means one who is a High Priestess in Wicca. We worship (sic) the Horned God and the Triple Goddess.....I threw a Killing Spell on that boy."...."You shall KNEEL before the Lord of Beasts."
How many ways can this possibly be SOOOOOO wrong. sigh.
and it had seemed like a pretty good show, too. But this isn't the first time; they tore it up pretty badly when handling a story line w/an herbalist who sold over the internet.
I kind of like Disney and bowling, but it's your day, Missie!!!!!
That made me wonder if Walt had his whole self frozen or just his head?
burying the hatchet, fiend-style
I probably still hit first, ask questions...after I hit them a few more times
I loooove you fiends!
Happy Endless Birthday, Chantrelle!
Y'all are too sweet. At present, to quote from a really scary Richard Adams novel, there is No Telling. I wish. One of these days, maybe...
Hugs to you all, and I will work on getting back to quiet.
(Lys, you love Mr. Jenkins. I was next door with Mr. Huber, who looked like a fish yes but was a freaking genius and remains much admired and loved in my memory...)
Siri;
Do you have any woodbane? Burn that (like a sage smudge or incense--so be careful if you have allergies)before sleeping, in your bedroom (sorry, duh!) and get some of that lavender under your pillow....
Just my opinion, mind you.
pondering more work. do i stay and finish this email i've been working on all day, or do oi go home and deal with it tomorrow. home is empty, buy is at work.
hmmm... keep entertaining fiends.
thanks
BA - is it your student? Sending strenght vibes so you can cope. Come here for primal screaming whenever you need.
BA...
Mr. Huber????
WHY is that striking a chord in my memory....?
Hey, does that mean you went to La Cumbre? If we already discussed this, slap me. This Brain Sponge retains and loses the ODDEST things.
Vampi--
How is your tap dancing??
No woodbane here - not even sure what it is or where I'd get it in the middle of Iowa in the winter.....I suppose I could buy it off the "Internets" from a Herbalist, but that might get someone in trouble....;)
It would probably make me sneeze....
Er, chamber pots, people. With lids, at least (usually). Tucked neatly under the bed. Or, as SIR (finally) Terry puts it in 'The Wee Free Men' the "guzunder."
Welcome Eve!
Yeah Lys -- I saw The Mentalist tonight too and I was pretty surprised at the weird. It felt like a 70's movie of the week way of dealing with the subject. But honestly that was not the only flaw in the script in this epi. They also dealt with abuse in a rather odd way. Very flip and no nuance in any of it. Someone phoned that one in I think.
Lys -- Mr. Huber directed the choir at DP. Our room was right next to the band room. Third period. Music was everywhere, oh yeah.
Siri, thank you, student is a part, yes, but not the biggest. Not even sure what's the biggest right now. Quite a few to choose from...
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Aleta:
This show has been so hit or miss for me! When it is well-written, it is great....funny AND witty (two different goals!)....intricately structured.
Then you have episodes like this one. Maybe they are operating like Microsoft--there are ten writers kept separate from each other, not allowed to communicate or share info, each working on a separate story thread section.
Pfah.
Well, it will make the Fringe/Mentalist conflict easier when that comes back on.
Or havens....I could TURN THE TELEVISION OFF! hehehehe
Isn't it great to have options, BA? (she typed in a sarcastic tone of finger, meaning it really sucks when you have lots and lots of problems, and didn't want you to think I didn't get that it sucks)
Stacy - sorry, got distracted by Life and didn't get to facebook until just now, and I sents youz a message. :)
The monster this evening was reading an Arthur chapter book, and the story was about banned books and what the kids could do about it! Very cool.
and {{grace}} and {{siri}}
I fart in the general direction of all things/people causing distress to the Fiends.
Fluffy - gazunder, which I'd remembered that way back then!
So who is more lady like -Renata her hugs or Sally who farts?
*runs away*
Grace: Oh, right! I forgot that Ike moved on to DP.....possibly because several of his most promising pupils went there from La Cumbre. Still, the name is familiar to me.
Just a reminder that we are in fact slightly off alignment, generation-wise!
Hey Lys, just by a couple of years, right? Ah, youth in Isla Vista. Sweet memories...
Ok, finally got off the phone with Dr Wicked, delightful talk that went everywhere no matter how much we tried to keep it on the new site, which is also delightful.
Going to write me some new post for you....
Hi, Jane! Welcome!
Hi, Eve! Hmmmmm
::sniiiiffff::
Definitely Extra Spicy!
First, you have to catch me. CX
YAY, Stacy! Looking forward to hearing all about Aspen. :)
Ooooo, Phiala! I like that poem!
I notice that this is the second time you've mentioned a "sekrit" project. A fiend might think that you were soliciting guesses. ;)
Siri, so you're the one! Does the phone company charge you rent on your phone? Granted, I can call others when the power is out; I have a cell phone. ;) You also have to know the phone number of the person you're calling because you don't have automatic or memory dialing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
*runs in*
*HUGS Grace*
*runs back to the laundry room*
**HUGS BEEZ** and tries to go to bed. really and truly.
Sending good thoughts your way BA.
BA--sleep well, Chica! Hear the frogs in the park bleating quietly for you....
sally, you are too funny, throw a couple my way, i have a few i could aim them at...welcome eve and jane! more spicey goodness! stacy! bengal! so cool, and congrats! my little tabby, shmitty, actually my daughter's cat, has just presented me with a mouse. i had no idea there was one in the house. i am a bit freaked as i Do Not Like Rodents. Siri, and Grace, hugs to you both, and soothing thoughts sent your way.
Sue, I just had an image of me spinning around and cocking my leg Terence and Phillip style to send 'greetings' off on behalf of all Fiends.
I watch too much South Park.
Oh, fiends, I am so full.
We had work potluck today, and all my coworkers are excellent in the kitchen. And then I took my brother (called "The Boy" with some affection and some exasperation) out for a pre- twenty-first birthday dinner. We went to Luce and ate pizza and Fods, I think I will die from overeating.
It's good vibes for everyone, again! I'm amazed at the sheer amount of hardworking, determined fiends we have.
El, you may be full, but I'm wondering what Sally's been eating that she can fart at will to drive off bothersome beings...
In 12 hours I will be in the air! aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!
Not excited. Nope. Not at all.
apricots
Fruity Farts of DOOM!
C'mon Fiends, lets pull out 200 before new post!
Shouldn't be hard.
MAN I sure have missed a lot today, I am so going to catch up!
I missed a new Fiends too, Hello Jane, welcome!!!!!
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