Friday 30 December 2011

2011 in Review

End of the Year Meme!

  1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? 
Walked 16 km in one day. Screwed up my courage and got approved for a mortgage. Skyped with Kevin McKidd.

  2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions? 
Didn't make any.

  3. What will your New Year's resolutions be for next year? 
Not making any.

  4. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
Not very close - a coworker and a casual friend did.

  5. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank goodness.

  6. What countries did you visit?
 America! I went to California for the first time.

  7. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? My own home!

  8. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 
October 13 - found out I have ovarian cysts and that my health needs further investigating. And then I Skyped with Kevin McKidd later the same day. Kevin freakin' McKidd.

 October 15 - I walked into a pet store intending to get a new cat toy or two, and walked out with a kitten, a bag of kitty litter, a bag of kitten food, canned kittten food, and a couple of cat toys.

 And yes, I think the two days are related - I decided "fuck this worrying, I`m getting a kitten!"

  9. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Starting the home ownership process.

  10. What was your biggest failure?
Not speaking up sooner about how much I hated how my work environment had changed.

  11. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
I started 2011 recovering from cervical disk replacement surgery, so it got better from there. I did have a bout of cellulitis and my blood pressure got out of control, but with new medication, my blood pressure has stabilized.

  12. What was the best thing you bought?
Hermione. In non-feline matters, I'd say my desktop computer.

  15. Where did most of your money go? 
Besides rent, credit card debt reduction.

  16. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
 Going to San Francisco and meeting three women I've known online for years. The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, meeting William Shatner, Felicia Day, and lots of other cool people.

  17. What song will always remind you of 2011?
 "Fireworks" by Katy Perry. Because baby, I am a firework.

  18. Compared to this time last year, are you: ii. thinner or fatter?
 Thinner.

  iii. richer or poorer?
 Richer.

  19. What do you wish you'd done more of? 
Knitting - I owe a friend a scarf that he wanted to give his wife for this Christmas. I'm almost done ...

  20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
 Wasting time on my iPad.

  21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
 My sister.

  22. Did you fall in love in 2011? 
Not with a human.

  23. How many one-night stands?
0.

  24. What was your favourite TV program?
Ooooh, tough. Grey's Anatomy and Glee have been uneven and are no longer must-see TV. I'd say The Big Bang Theory has been the most consistently enjoyable show.

  25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
 No.

  26. What was the best book you read?
 The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure.

  27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
Lately I've rediscovered The Doobie Brothers and discovered Straight No Chaser. Seeing SNC in concert this March.

  28. What did you want and get? 
A HDTV. I bided my time, watched the flyers, and got a good deal.

  29. What did you want and not get?
Dressy boots that fit my calves.

  30. What were your favourite films of this year?
 I didn't go to a movie theatre this year. Tangled is my favourite new film.

  31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
 I started the day at my sister's house, then I came home via the bus. I was (and am) 45.

  32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
 Fantastic sex.

  33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
 Concealing.

  34. What kept you sane? 
Pain relievers.

  35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? Least?
 I liked Kevin McKidd the most - he raised a lot of money for Save the Children by going online and engaging his fanbase. He used Twitter, Twitpics, and chats to interact with viewers and did a lot of good.

Least - Kim Kardashian. I don't watch any of her shows, I never clicked on any stories of her "dream wedding", and I think she's a load of crap and I want her to go away. That's why I installed the "Dash-Out (Kardashian Blocker)" extension for Chrome.

  36. What political issue stirred you the most? 
The federal election on May 2 was very important. I was thrilled by how the NDP became the official opposition for the first time, and heartbroken when Jack Layton died on August 22 after leading the NDP to new heights.

  37. Whom did you miss? 
My Bonnie kitty.

  38. Who was the best new person you met?
 I'm going to say Vee. She's a copywriter at work and loads of fun. Her actual name is Verity but she prefers Vee. She brought her friend to the Christmas party and we all danced a lot together.

  39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
 It's okay to speak up about being miserable about something.

  40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
  "I'm beautiful in my own way, Because God makes no mistakes."

Tuesday 27 December 2011

In Search of Snuggles

A little bit of deja vu - Hermione once again sat herself down, next to Chloe, in hopes of some kitty snuggles.

Girls 01

She tried the old "I'm going to bathe myself and 'accidentally' snuggle up against Chloe" trick.

Girls 02

She earned a couple of licks from Chloe.

Girls 03

But Chloe wasn't interested in snuggles. As usual.

Girls 04

So Hermione decided to snuggle with Charlie as he napped.

Buddies 01

Problem - this cat bed isn't big enough for both of them and Hermione's gangly legs.

Buddies 02

She jumped out and Charlie went back to sleep.

Charlie

Chloe had moved, so Hermione jumped back onto the top of the loveseat. "Will no one snuggle with me?"

Hermione 01

Poor widdle thing. It's exhausting being a kitten. :-)

Hermione 02

Monday 26 December 2011

The Girls

If she behaves herself, Hermione is occasionally allowed to sit next to Chloe.

The girls

Saturday 24 December 2011

Hermione

Easily one of the best parts of 2011 was bringing Hermione into the household.

Hermione

And here's a picture for perspective - Hermione may be growing, but she's still kitten-sized.

Watching the world

Monday 19 December 2011

Hermione Update

Hermione is four months old now.

Hermione 01

She's spent half of her life with me!

Hermione 02

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Two cats on my lap

Two cats on my lap by angelamermaid
Two cats on my lap, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Charlie and Hermione

I took this picture earlier today, when Charlie and Hermione were just hanging out.

Hanging out

It's super adorable. You might think that they could not have been cuter.

I looked over, about half an hour ago, and saw THIS.

Like a teddy bear They were sleeping together and he had a leg over her like she is his personal teddy bear!

So I took some pictures, most of which came out terrible because I was using low light conditions without a flash halfway across the room. I'm surprised the one above came out as well as it did.

I took this picture 10 minutes ago with better lighting.

Aw

I'm so glad Charlie likes the kitten I got for him. :-) I'm sure Chloe will succumb to Hermione's charms sooner or later.

Thursday 1 December 2011

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Eyes and cats

I couldn't stop rubbing my left eye last night, it was irritated and itchy. It was somewhat better this morning, no oozing but watery. When I got to work and found myself really fighting the urge to rub, I called my optometrist's office and made an appointment. That's when Coworker Kathy said that she had pink eye last week.

Scott sits between us, and the look on his face was priceless. Without being asked, I pulled out my wipes and let him help himself. His keyboard was carefully cleaned. :-)

I don't have pink eye. What I had was a mucus strand stuck in my eye, which the optometrist removed with a q-tip. (Ew ew ew). He prescribed anti-inflammatory drops, got his assistant to test for glaucoma, then sent me on my way. The eye does feel a lot better now.

I did a lot of laundry this weekend. Hermione was not helpful.

Hermione

Very unhelpful. (But unspeakably cute). I love how she folds up her front paws.

Hermione Hermione Hermione

She's grown so long that I really can't call her Little Miss anymore. She still has her sweet kitten face. She's going to be gorgeous when she grows up.

Hermione

This is not sisterly affection. This is Chloe bathing Hermione as domination.

Hermione Hermione

Tuesday 22 November 2011

RIP Anne McCaffrey

I did not have a horse phase as a young lass. I did not dream of horses or draw horses or yearned to ride them. I enjoy the occasional trail ride, but that's it.

Thanks to stumbling upon the short story "The Smallest Dragonboy" in a book from my high school library, I preferred dragons. I collected all of the Pern books. Including related ones like The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I have made klah. When I customized Barbie dolls, another Pern fan and I did a doll swap - we each made a doll and wrote a story to go with the doll and exchanged them.

Anne McCaffrey became this wonderful person - I could imagine her strolling around her farm in Ireland, dreaming up these grand stories while feeding the occasional fire-lizard.

I stopped with Dragon's Kin, a book that Anne wrote with her son Todd, that just wasn't very good. The bad guy practically had neon arrows pointing at him saying "EVIL BAD MAN" "EVIL VILLAIN" "DOES EVIL THINGS". The storytelling lacked subtlety, is what I'm saying. It didn't feel special.

It was with sadness today that I learned Anne McCaffrey has gone between. As a fellow reader put it, 85 wasn't a bad age to do it at. I'm sure dragons everywhere raised their voices in tribute.

Sunday 20 November 2011

Hermione "helps"

There are many "firsts" that a kitten looks forward to ... and one of them is "helping" Mummy change the sheets!

First, you need to make sure she pulls the dirty sheets off properly.

Changing the sheets

If your brother jumps on the bed, invite him to to play! (Side note: Charlie weighed almost 18 lbs at the vet yesterday. BIG boy!)

Changing the sheets

It's okay to stop and munch on your tail. Ignore what Mummy says. Nom nom nom.

Changing the sheets

Don't just stop when the sheets are on the bed. Kittens need to get up and close and personal to make the duvet is being properly placed.

Changing the sheets Changing the sheets

Lastly, be super cute. So that you won't get locked out of the bedroom the next time Mummy wants to change the sheets.

Changing the sheets

Saturday 19 November 2011

Buddies

Buddies by angelamermaid
Buddies, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Charlie likes his new little sister!

Sunday 13 November 2011

Three months old

Hermione just turned three months old!

Three months old

She's as cute as ever.

Three months old

She's still trying to make big sister Chloe love her. Chloe continues to bathe her to show that she's the bigger and more dominant cat.

Domination

Little Miss has a very big appetite. And she's growing very long and gangly - I swear her tail must have doubled in length in the last week.

Three months old

For her birthday, I went out and stocked up on canned kitten food. I also bought a covered litter pan with a little cat door.

New box

Why? Because when I came home last night, I saw this:

Uh oh

Big pink yawn!

Three months old

Friday 11 November 2011

I went to my first drum circle tonight ...


... and boy, are my arms tired!

Kristy, Coworker Phil's wife, invited me to drumming. She's doing different activities these days. I like drums, so I said "Sure!"

It was a lot of fun. It got weird, with the singing. I like that the leader led us to send out peace and love on Remembrance Day, in honour of those who have served and are serving, and their families, and for those who are living in war.

I don't like that she had us sing "Oh Canada" substituting "Planet Earth" for "Canada".

There was a lot of meditation, where we were encouraged to be cleansed of something within us, while sending out peace to the world. I found myself thinking of what it's like to be in an ICU, facing the awful truth that a family member is not going to get better, in fact they are going to get worse. So that's where my thoughts of peace went - to those facing awful truths.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Feline goodness

When I'm busy cleaning out multiple litterboxes, and feeding three loud cats in two different rooms, I sometimes wonder what I've gotten myself into.

This is what I've gotten myself into. :-)

New friends

Miss Chloe is a feral rescue who needs to have other cats around. This was very clear last year, when we suddenly lost Bonnie and we both grieved. Little Miss Hermione is desperately trying to win Chloe's affections, but it hasn't happened yet.

Miss Chloe

And Little Miss is very charming!

Little Miss likes my bed

Little Miss likes my bed

It didn't take Charlie long to accept Little Miss - she wrestles him and chases him and lets him pin her to the carpet - and then bounces up and plays with him all over again. Here, they are playing "Game for Cats" on my iPad.

New friends

Friday 4 November 2011

Unimpressed

Unimpressed by angelamermaid
Unimpressed, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I woke her up to cuddle her. She was not amused.

Little Miss went to the vet today for her second round of shots. She charmed everyone, from the beauty of her colours, to how she purred for everyone. She weighs 3.2 pounds and is healthy.

They gave me a free bag of kitten food, because she doesn't like what I got at the pet store. Hopefully she'll like this better.

Thursday 3 November 2011

I'm on a horse

I'm on a horse by angelamermaid
I'm on a horse, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Banff trail ride, July 28, 2011.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Dunn

Dunn by angelamermaid
Dunn, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

On July 28, 2011, I treated myself to a three hour trail ride in Banff. I was assigned to Dunn. He is one bad ass horse.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

A Hermione post

Just her being sweet and floofy.

Little Miss Little Miss Little Miss