Tag Archive | strivingcynic cat

changing habits

May12

When I lived alone in my apartment, I almost always had the tv on. Even if I wasn’t watching it, I enjoyed just having the noise in the background. But I did spend a lot of time watching “my shows.” In particular, I had a weakness for the  Real Housewives (some, not all), Top Chef,  and House Hunters. My schedule in the evenings was built around what shows were on. I even had a second tv in my bedroom, so I could watch in bed. So, yes, one person, two tvs.

Once I moved in with mr. strivingcynic, my tv watching declined. We still put it on most evenings, but it’s not a constant.  When I turn it on, I often feel restless. I would never have believed I could reach this point considering where I was before. I think it’s a combo of living with another person (we only have one tv) and finding I’m just not that interested in keeping up with tv shows.

It’s always interesting to realize how something that seemed central to life at one point, can lose its place in the spotlight. I know when I started this blog, it took a central place, and now it’s been more than a month since I posted something (or really read other blogs). I just started to look at it  as another obligation and since my tendency is to all or nothing, I either had to be heavily involved or not at all. Not to mention my rule setting ways (I must post 3 times a week and comment on other blogs all the time). But, if someone were to ask if I’m done with this blog, the answer is no. I just have to come up with a way to ensure I enjoy it. I suspect that means more random posting than scheduling them.

Anyway, I’m happy to be typing again. Today is Mother’s Day (Happy Mother’s Day) and it’s a beautiful day . I’m going to visit my grandmother (my mom’s in California, so I’ll give her a call).  And strivingcynic cat greeted me a little crazily this morning. He got up on the bed and started jumping around…at one point he was by my feet and did a springy jump and landed by my head. Then he jumped off the bed and meowing started. Being a good (and tired) cat mom, I decided to give him his morning Whiskas treat. At 5:40 am! But, I went back to bed and he came up again half an hour later, walked around a bit and then settled in…and I didn’t wake up again till almost 8!

nothing like waking up early to feed your cat and knowing he'll spend the rest of the morning looking like this.

nothing like waking up early to feed your cat and knowing he’ll spend the rest of the morning looking like this

in with the (drifty) new

Jan21

I decided to skip this week’s and last week’s Top Ten Tuesday posts, since I couldn’t think of anything to say for either topic…I think I should be on board for next week.

I’m still in my drifty, don’t know what I want to talk about phase. So, a few other random bits of news from my corner of the world!

To follow up on my drifty post, I am now the proud (in four years time) owner of a new Nissan Rogue. I just got it today…and so far, so amazing. My previous car was from 2001….before satellite radio, bluetooth, and heaters that actually worked  quickly (in cold weather, I usually had to wait about 10 minutes before I could expect the focus to really warm up). I will have photos and talk more about it in another post (see! a plan!).

Strivingcynic cat has decided that on some nights, he wants to sleep with us. It’s really sweet, except that his method usually involves putting part of his body on top of part of mine (chest, hip, leg). I wake up, and there he is, curled up so sweetly…and then I start to realize that I’d really like to move in some way, but that I’m pinned down. Then I start to fixate on the desire to move, which is coupled with the guilt of thinking about how sweet he is and how if I move I may startle him or he might take that as a hint to get off the bed. Once or twice I’ve been able to move him and he just looks at me sleepily and settles back in. But, often it’s what I call the “thump of outrage….” the sound of him hitting the floor after he jumps off the bed “sensing” he’s not wanted.

Another funny thing was that he wasn’t “waiting” for me when I got home after picking up the new car today. SC cat actually knows the sound of my car…mr. strivingcynic has attested to being home and watching cat go running to the door when he hears my car pull in (I’ve seen him do the same when mr. sc comes home). Often, he’ll pop up into the window first and then jump down to run to the door. Today when I got home, nothing. So, we’re wondering how long it will take for him to associate the sound of my car with “mom’s home.”

Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying the three day weekend. Suits my drifty ways.

life is tough . . .

Oct1

someone must have only gotten 14 of his usual 16 hours of sleep the other day…

what a life…

strivingcynic cat conveys how tired he is while showing off his fangs

There are definitely worse things than being a cat in my household for sure!

If sleep were a product, cats could totally sell it. It just looks so enticing when they do it. They curl up into a nice warm ball (or stretch out and take up as much of your space as possible). They get all cozy…and if you’ve got a cat sleeping on your lap…cancel your plans. If you so much as move, you get the “slightly disturbed stir…”…like they’re saying, “you weren’t seriously thinking about breaking up what is the best possible sleep of my life?” And I end up staying rooted to the same place for hours…come hunger, thirst, the need for a bathroom break.

You didn’t really want this blanket or to sit here, did you?


He’s lucky he’s so cute.
And I’m lucky he’s such a sweetie.

What animal habits do you envy? Aside from loving how cats sleep, I always think dogs look happy when they’re out being walked.

because the stores tell me so

Sep10

In our quest to figure out how to decorate our kitchen along with looking around for other practical/decorative items for our hourse, mr. strivingcynic and I have been spending some time in home furnishing stores.

A few weeks ago, we walked into Home Goods, and what I’ll call the “general fall” decorations were on display. Mostly items with colored leaves or in what we consider to be “fall” colors (orange, hunter greens).

(foliage) changes are gonna come

 

A week or two later, we walked in, and the fall colors were over to the side. Front and center and on peripheral aisles…Halloween! Lots of orange, silver, black, purple, bats, spiders, witches hats and shoes, and of course, black cats! In the candle section are candles that smell like candy corn, caramel apples, or that have some “fright” factor punned into their fragrance name. Yes, if fall is coming, then Halloween is coming too..

and it’s not just home decor that’s out there!

On Friday, we went in again. There was the fall stuff, the front-and-center Halloween stuff, and these were joined by a smaller display featuring, you guessed it, turkeys, cornucopias, and pilgrims…because if fall is coming and Halloween is going to be around the corner…then it’s only the blink of an eye until Thanksgiving (I know for my Canadian friends, Thanksgiving is a lot closer than Halloween, but I’m a good 7+ hours from the Canadian border…).

So, I strongly suspect that the next time I enter Home Goods, Christmas and New Year’s will be making their claims on the display space.

No wonder I’m feeling pressure to get my Christmas shopping done.

When I lived alone in my apartment, I never decorated for any holiday. With Mr. sc and sc teen, we do decorate for Christmas (and my menorah gets pulled out and used). But, I am actually a sucker for all these decorations…I want to cover our house in funny/scary/cute Halloween items, have a few turkeys and pumpkins around for Thanksgiving, change the household linens to a “fall” pallette..and why not a few “Happy New Year” cushions on our couch when the big change comes (if they come out soon, I can use them for Rosh Hashanah [Jewish New Year] next week, too…).

I resist in part because I think if I started buying these holiday “accessories,” I’d never stop. I’d be “Halloweenland” followed by “Thanksgivingland,” and although our Christmas stuff comes out of our storage space and then goes back in a few weeks later, I wouldn’t want to do this constantly.

strivingcynic cat (our living Halloween decoration) checks out a stuffed animal counterpart

So, it’s best I just ooh and ahh over everything in the store (although, maybe it will be discounted even more when the holiday passes, so that next year…)

Have you started noticing fall/holiday items in the stores yet? What holidays do you decorate for?

things to know about strivingcynic cat (belated black cat appreciation day)

Aug20

In belated celebration of August 17 having been black cat appreciation day, I thought I’d do a bit of appreciation of strivingcynic cat by giving some random facts about his life. [Yes, to be honest, sc does have some white patches, but I think he qualifies as a black cat].

1. sc cat is about 4 and a half (so I think he’d be in his thirties if he was human, which he isn’t, he’s a cat.

one of my birthday gifts came in this bag, but he got the “present” of turning it into a toy/sleeping bag

2. like many black cats, sc kitty isn’t scary at all…he does get scared, though. He has logged a number of hours under our couch in recent weeks as various “outsiders” have come into our home (ac repairman…, kitchen guy).

3. sc kitty knows how to use his paws to hold heads and hands in place so he can give kisses.

show us your paw!

4. sc kitty is the master of the “pet me now” flop. There are several varieties…the “you’re home!” immediate flop…the “you’re home, but I’m not giving it up that easy so you have to wait while I walk for a few seconds to find the perfect sp…FLOP.” flop. There’s the “oh you’re leaving? Look at me? I flopped!” flop…the “oh you’re leaving, I’m just gonna walk right in front of the front door and flop so you have to pet me” flop. And, last but not least the “hard flop” an out-of-nowhere yowl followed by the sound of his body hitting the floor.

being floppy

5. sc kitty is a rap artist, of sorts…

call me t

6. anything on the floor is his. this does not mean that things on the floor aren’t his, but if it’s on the floor, it’s his.

it’s mine! you think I don’t read? and I like to flutter the pages with my paw

7. at 8 -9:30 at night, sc cat likes to chill out on the living room floor. Sometimes at 10 he transforms into a pony and starts galloping and leaping around…quite a show.

8. sc cat is a great alarm clock. He knows that most days, there’s a fresh packet of whiskas waiting to be opened around 6 in the morning…so he likes to give us a reminder a few minutes before with a series of increasingly vocal meows and sometimes a “bed visit” to ensure one of us is up and willing to provide whiskas.

whiskas, yum!

9. when I first met sc cat, his belly fit into the palm of my hand…I think he weighed 2 pounds. I was told he was a girl, so was mildly surprised when the vet corrected me about his gender…last time he went to the vet he was about 12 pounds (he needs to lose a little weight..).

the day we met

10. sc cat is by far one of the sweetest and funniest cats I have ever encountered. I love my black cat.

that’s right. I rock!

I hope everyone had a good black cat appreciation day! Feel free to name someone or something you appreciate.

a wrap-up

Jun28

Remember way way back in February, when I showed off my horrendous gift-wrapping skills (handy-dandy link)? Well…I managed to go several months without another present giving occasion where I had to wrap the present (I either had things shipped/wrapped and once I [and the recipient] got lucky and mr. strivingcynic did the wrapping). But last week…the time had come. It was mr. sc’s birthday…and there were two boxes and a book that needed wrapping.

I’m happy to say, this round of wrapping went a lot better than the last one (little to no puffiness/paper bunches, no hair under the tape…). So..thanks and on to the…okay, I guess you might want to see proof that my wrapping skills were better. Fine.

ready to be wrapped

So, something I learned from the last time that I put into play here. Most of the time, you will need to cut excess paper. Trying to accommodate the size of the box often means that more paper is going to be cut than is needed…but that excess paper makes things awkward when wrapping…so snip snip!

see, that’s me cutting away

And let me just say, extra points to me for photographing with one hand while cutting with the other!

and box one is done!

I’m willing to admit, the stripes on the wrapping paper helped when it came to cutting and lining up cut edges.

If you look at the upper right hand corner, you’ll see I had a [non]observer

he’s pretending to not pay attention, but we all know that cats love the sound of crinkly wrapping paper

box two, for your viewing pleasure

Okay…I can see this one wasn’t as nicely lined up as the first one, but it’s not bad.

The third one is where I got a little loopy. Since it was a book…and I had all the excess paper from before, I decided to challenge myself to wrapping the book using the excess paper. And of course, none of it totally covered the book…so this is what I (and mr. sc) got:

yep, I even made a “bow” with paper scraps

I knew I’d never get anything to line up, so I went for more of a pattern on this one.

The result? Mr. sc complimented my wrapping! Of course, he still tore it off….but it was nice to know my effort was noticed.

Interestingly, this was my first wrapping job on the new kitchen table, which is smaller than the previous one. It was manageable, but I will admit to missing the extra surface space from the previous table. Also, you’re getting some nice views of our new place mats! A total bonus!

Is there an “occasional” skill like wrapping presents that you’d like to improve on? Have you done any “creative” wrapping?

roam

May10

So, it’s on the road again time! Off for a family visit for the next week and a half.

No worries: I’ve scheduled a few posts to appear while I’m away. But, I won’t have much internet access, so I probably won’t be reading or commenting on other blogs…or even replying to comments on my own!

It’s probably a good thing I’m getting away, as I’ve noticed that I’m getting crabby in the way I get crabby when I need a break! But, I’ll miss my bloggy routine.

And I’ll definitely miss this guy!

What?

 [Couldn't resist using that picture again]!

Don’t worry about him either. He will be looked after…

grocery bill wreckers, pt. 7

May3

Another grocery bill wrecker has been identified, so it’s time to name number 7.

Let’s just look back at the last 6 (and yes, the list is cobbled together from previous posts).

1. My eyes (contacts, drops, medications…)

2. My cat (food, food, litter, special food he likes as a treat, food..)

3. My [not so] shameful tea addiction (50 varieties last time I counted..)

4. Impulse buys (would you walk away from chocolate malted milk ball cookies? I don’t think so).

5. The seasonal/limited edition flavor item. This is usually worst in the fall going into Christmas…but some companies have turned the limited edition into an art form.

6. My need for variety/options. Variety packs almost always cost more (as does buying a second flavor of any product), and yet I can’t help myself.

And now, joining them is another product born out of another of my quirks: the need to add flavor to my water.

Drinking more water is one of those perpetual “dumb” resolutions I have (I call it dumb because how hard is it to drink more water? Apparently it’s very difficult. That and putting lotion on my dry hands [bet they wouldn't be so dry if I drank more] are crazy/impossible for me…). (It’s also interesting to consider the fact that I buy into all those statements that drinking tons of water will do amazing things for my looks, my well-being, and so on.) And the thing is, I really don’t drink much of anything else (aside from tea). I’m not really into drinking my calories and didn’t want to spend money or drink a lot of diet products with aspartame or artificial sweeteners…so I decided I’d drink more water. Problem was, I would get a glass of water…and just not drink it, or anything else.

So, I compromised a bit:

zero calorie vitamin water

I actually don’t drink this straight from the bottle…I find it too sweet. But, I find it flavors water nicely (and, let’s face it, it’s less expensive to water it down…). I have a much better chance at drinking water if it’s got a nice fruity flavor to it. Only thing is that I think these are $1.40 apiece at my local stop and shop…sometimes they go on sale for $1.25, but even better, sometimes they go on sale for $1.00. That’s when I pounce (and they seem to be on sale pretty frequently). If I buy 5 when they’re a dollar each, I get one more bottle than if I buy them at $1.25…it’s like a free bottle (except it isn’t…).

Then there are the powders…oooh, the powders…sounds a little sinister, right? That’s why I keep them in this tin:

the girl at the register where I bought this called it a "death metal kitty"

[But really, I got it because it resembles someone we all know and love:]

what?

Anyway, back to the powders. When you open death metal kitty up, this is what you see

lemons and limes, sort of

These are a bit old. The True Lemon and True Lime (and I’ve also had True Orange) are just crystallized lemon, lime…you get the picture. So, it’s flavor, but not sweetness. These are okay in that they impart some flavor (but I do like my sweetness). The Crystal Light is, of course, more sweet than flavor. They’re not bad price-wise…about $2.70-3.20 for a box with around 20 servings…(I think..it has been a while since I bought these).

The fact is though, I drink more water when there’s flavor. And I’m using tap/work water cooler water…I’m not buying bottles of water as well.

Verdict: My need for flavored water is perhaps an unnecessary expense, but doesn’t drive up my bill too much [and once I start drinking more water, I'll be fabulous, right?]

what?

Do you drink mostly water or something else? Where do you fall on the “flavored water” spectrum? What do you think of the resemblance between strivingcynic cat and death metal kitty?

PAWS

Apr19

Years and years ago, I saw the movie Aliens. One thing I remember very clearly is when Sigourney Weaver and the little girl (Newt?) are shut away in a room…hiding from the alien. Suddenly there’s this noise…this horrible skittering of claws across the floor and you know, they are not alone. [I'm trying to YouTube the scene with no luck, but I recall this little alien lobster thing...eek].

Once when I lived in my apartment (alone), I went to bed one night. Lights off, I lay back in bed and then I heard it…skittering behind the wall…over the ceiling, behind the wall again. I turned my light on and kept it on for a long time. I can only assume a squirrel had gotten into my building (and I hope he found his way out again).

Now when I sleep, I’m sometimes woken by another very distinct sound….what I call “scrabbling.” Scrabbling is the noise strivingcynic cat’s paws make when he’s a) trying to jump up on the bed, but not quite making it and b) losing his footing and about to fall off the bed but trying desperately not to (and not quite making it). I’m afraid to say, scrabbling is more often than not followed by a clunk. “Poor little guy” I’ll murmur and pat the bed next to me to let him know he should try to come up again.

although not mid-scrabble, this is the paw in action

Unfortunately, sc cat manages to scrabble several times a week. He’s not a jumper and as he’s maneuvering around the bed, he doesn’t always have a good grasp of where the edges and gaps (between bed and nightstands) are. And so the sound of his paws, and claws, trying to grasp the sheets to keep him from falling is not uncommon.

The other morning I had no idea that sc kitty was on the bed with us. I found out very quickly that he was because he began to scrabble and based on where he was on the bed when he started to lose his balance, he tried the grip whatever he could hold onto when he scrabbled.

Unfortunately, that happened to be the top of my head.

It didn’t work (thank heavens) and I heard the clunk a second later. My head is fine…a small scratch, but it’s tender enough that I suspect the noise of the scrabble will be joining the ranks of the skitter. And I will always be aware of the power hidden away in those paws!

okay, I said I'm sorry (but you can see how comfy I am on the bed)!

Are there certain noises you don’t want to hear in the night (or any other time)?