Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Random Tidbits


I'm expecting the next couple of weeks to be crazy. I'm moving to a new city, starting a new career, wrapping-up on my current job, and on top of all that I have to deal with Christmas. To say that I'm stressed is an understatement.

While I would love nothing more than to curl up with a good book for an hour or two to relax, even a great story isn't enough to make me unwind. There's just too much going on in my head.

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In other news, I've discovered a fantastic way to kick your fried chicken addiction. Just bite into an undercooked chicken tender, stare at the raw center, and obsess about possible salmonella poisoning. Trust me, it'll be weeks (if ever) before fried chicken sounds remotely appetizing. Now if I could just find a way to turn myself off of sweets...

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A couple of weeks ago one of my cats, Blue, injured himself. He was healing quite nicely until a few days ago, when his paws started bleeding again -- probably from him messing with them. So we took the Cone of Shame for a test-drive.

As is his nature, Blue remained calm throughout the process, approaching it more from a "Let's figure out how to make this work" perspective. After repeated unsuccessful attempts at walking forward, he decided the best course of action would be to walk backward -- everywhere. There's nothing quite like watching a cat approach you ass first.

So the problem wasn't with Blue; it was with myself and Blue's partner-in-crime, Poe. Poe took one look at Blue with that bright blue cone around his head, and lost his ever-lovin' mind. He acted like Blue was an alien invader sent to murder us all, and alternated between cowering under the bed and executing Sniff-And-Runs. And I could only take about 30 minutes of watching my poor kitty pathetically maneuver through the apartment backwards, before I removed said Cone of Shame.

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I think I've checked Amazon at least twice this week to see if a cover has been uploaded for Julia Spencer-Fleming's upcoming release One Was a Soldier, the newest installment in her abso-freaking-amazing Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne series.

It's not that I particularly care about the cover; it's more about having a cover as proof the release date is real this time -- unlike the previous date of October 27th. Until I see that cover, that April 13th date seems very tentative to me. And boy howdy, do I want that book. Want, as in: Really. Must. Have. It. Now.

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My glomming of the television show Supernatural continues, as I eagerly await the arrival of Season 3 on my doorstep. I burned through each of the first two seasons at lightning speed, which included many late nights and very little reading. I'm going to attempt to savor the third season, and draw out the enjoyment a bit longer, but I'm also self-aware enough to realize that I have almost zero willpower and there's small chance of my being successful. Oh, and I might possibly be developing an itty-bitty crush on one Dean Winchester. Maybe.

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What about y'all? Stressed out during this holiday season? Know a good way to battle a food craving? How do your pets react to the Cone of Shame? Irrationally excited about an upcoming release? Crushing on any fictional characters?


4 comments:

Lynn Spencer said...

oh, poor Blue! I hope he recovers soon. I haven't had good results with the Cone of Shame either. The only cat in my house who's ever needed it was Catdini, and I kept finding that cone left in all kinds of weird places.

Katie Mack said...

Lynn - He's doing a lot better now. The upside of the Cone of Shame is that it thoroughly distracted him from his paws, so he didn't mess with them the rest of the night.

That's so funny that your cat would leave it in weird places. I can just imagine the surprise of finding it someplace random.

Kristie (J) said...

Yikes!! You do have a lot on your plate! Add Christmas into the mix and I don't know how you are doing it.
I'm stressed and I have shopping done (only a handful of presents), wrapped (bless bags), I'm NOT making dinner (we are going to a restaurant)
And LOL over the Cone. Dogs look funny enough wearing one - but cats - just by being cats - hate to be undignified - at all times.

Katie Mack said...

Kristie -- LOL, cats *definitely* hate being undignified.