One of the concerns I had over getting a cat for Jonathon was the nature of the cat. Stuck up, distant… pretty much like a very short, furry version of myself. Fortunately the cat that jumped out of the room at the humane society and onto Jonathon’s lap wasn’t just doing that so we’d take him home only to become stuck up and distant again.

Yesterday Stan Lee did a wonderful job laying with Jonathon on the sofa, but I thought certainly that was going to be the way it was. If Jonathon wanted a cat to be with him, it’d have to be on the sofa as they’re a little afraid of his chair. I mean who could blame them, that thing could very well be their demise should we roll onto the scene and not see them until it was too late.

Today I was sitting at my computer chair and I looked over to see good ol’ Stan getting ready to hop onto Jonathon’s lap.

Also pictured is my new invention- I took Stan’s new cat toy that Ben sent him and hooked it up to my exercise machine. This way I’m playing with the cat and getting my work out. I am the Goddess of multi-tasking. And owbgg <Stan Lee apparently has something to say as he hopped up here and began typing. I think this means I should end now and go pay attention to the little critters.                                kkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.;///////////////////////// (secret cat code?)

Current Mood: Amused

Yesterday was my last day of work for the year, as I saw my co-workers for the last time of the year.

Today is the last Saturday of the year and I had my last Saturday morning cartoons for the year. I didn’t realize it was the last Saturday morning of the year, if I did, then I probably would have watched more than TMNT and the new Transformers.

My last Saturday lunch was McDonalds and my final Saturday night dinner was left over pizza. Granted it’s not the best way to end the year, but it beats starting off the new year that way.

I purchased my final vacuum cleaner bag for the year and I also refilled Jonathon’s prescription for the last time this year.

Good bye 2007 Saturday’s- I’ll miss you even though you kept me alone at night for probably 362 days of your full year. I hope 2008 Saturdays treat me better.

Jerk.

Right now all of my gadgets are charging and I’m prepping the Neuros to spend another night with Jonathon- which leaves me to watching things on Hulu or Netflix Watch Now. I COULD spend my final Saturday night of 2007 actually reading one of the many books I’ve started, or I could draw a comic that popped in my head on Friday- or was it Thursday? I could also review some things or write an amazing article about- anything.

Instead though, the cats are now getting along, my sea monkey city is thriving, I like the way I moved around my apartment this afternoon (the final time this year), so I think I’m going to enjoy the peace, quiet and my surroundings.

I’m going to make like a zombie and… hmmm… eat brains?

Current Mood: bouncey

FINALLY after a few days of dealing with the cat wars, Jonathon stepped in and tamed the wild beast.

It’s once more quiet in the Masuoka household.

 AND I found a good way to sneak pictures of the boy- put a cat in his lap so he can’t block the camera… although Stan Lee (the cat) is starting to learn the camera block-

Current Mood: Amused

After a night of constantly being woken up to hissing and throaty growls, each time I opened my eyes a different cat won the fight in “Who gets to sleep next to the strange woman” Today was no different. While at work I kept one in the other room and then let them come together once more.

More hissing…

She is not amused… and I’m too tired to blog.

Exhausted by the fighting, the two take a break.

 I miss my dog.

This morning I had received a phone call about Jonathon’s kitten. She never made it to get spayed, she fell ill over night and they had to put her to sleep as she took a turn for the worse on Christmas day.

I didn’t know what I was going to tell Jonathon as he had been doing a massive countdown and planning for when Miley got to be in his arms forever and ever. I fed him lunch with the weight of the news on my mind as he smiled and asked a million questions about Miley and her home coming: “Will she be able to fit in my stocking? She can nap there can’t she? Is she too big? No, she’s not too big… she’ll like it in my stocking. I CAN’T WAIT!”

Ashley suggested that I tell him she wound up being a ninja and escaped- I thought that was a wonderful idea! She was really a ninja and escaped to fight crime. Of course I broke the news as I was getting him ready to go pick her up. Only of course I wasn’t going to go pick her up, rather I was hoping I could explain what happened and then see if he wanted to adopt another cat.

“Jonathon, I have some news to tell you.” I told him and his voice was a little shakey. He wanted to go get a new kitty, but a boy kitty instead. He told me, “Men don’t cry.” And I think he told me that as he wanted to, but he told me he was angry instead. He was angry that Miley died on him. She was a bad girl. I went through the list of men in his life- uncles, grandpa’s, and then the list of superheroes and how they all cry now and then. “Even Superman?” Yes. “Even Spider Man?” Yes. “What about the Hulk?” Definitely The Hulk.

Once we got back to the humane society, I looked in the little room with the cages and felt a little sad that Miley was gone, and I saw that there were no other cats in there that “did it” for us.

On the way out I saw another room filled with cats, one was Alvin. Ashley initially wanted to get him, but I didn’t see him the first time we were there. On the site he was a much smaller kitten than the 8 month old that sat before us. The lady opened the door and he ran right into Jonathon’s arms.

Alvin had been there since October and no one was quite sure why no one had adopted him. I personally think that he was waiting for Jonathon. Oh what a sneaky cat.

The ladies were shocked as to how Alvin took to Jonathon and how happy they were that we were adopting him. It felt like a bad situation turned good.

Mila. I forgot about Mila. Oh princess of the house. I may be watching her for Ashley, but she’s been in bliss as the only cat for once. Sleeping with me nightly, having her belly rubbed, definitely being spoiled with love and attention (although we had our day or two after our initial period where we were bored with each other. Thankfully that didn’t last long).

<-Mila watching the new cat like a hawk. She is NOT happy.

Introduce Alvin. Ugh, I forgot about separating them initially. BAD ME! There were growls and hisses and me dropping to my knees, “Can’t we all just get along?!?!”

Well Alvin is a little younger, a little more playful and the first thing he did as I took him out of the box was to drop at my feet, roll on his back and he began to pur as I rubbed HIS belly. Oh Mila did not go for this at all. It’s a battle of my affections.

Hissing, a rush for my lap, belly rubbing, growling, hissing, more rushing to see who gets to me first. I know this too shall pass. I kind of like the attention.

Jonathon has been the stern one during the personality clashes and I’m allowing it. He loves Alvin and he loves how already Alvin tries to sneak in his room to sleep by his bed. Jonathon of course doesn’t want him IN his room due to his continuous drip- all the wires make both of us nervous. Jonathon will laugh and then yell, “Alvin I love you but GO!”… so as he’s in bed, I’m in the middle the battle.

What started off as a sad morning has turned off to a happy albeit nervous evening with me afraid to close my eyes tonight and curious as to if I should lock one of them in my bedroom while I’m at work (I made a second litter box and placed food in there.)

Alvin is completely at home and every I look over and smile at him with my eyes, he’ll jump in my lap and purrrrrrrrrr. What a sweetie. He’s totally going to destroy my home, isn’t he?

Worshipping at my feet- I realize this will not last

Current Mood: Buddha

For the rest of us.

I pretty much did the airing of grievances all day long, which is something I do all week long- regardless of the time of year. The Feats of Strength; well Jonathon whooped my butt, so the celebration is over with.

I mentioned I was baking sugar cookies yesterday. They didn’t turn out quite like planned. I sat there for probably fifteen minutes staring at them with the boy. We looked at each other, then back at the cookies, and then at each other again. I got up and rummaged through the kitchen looking for other ingredients to make a new batch. We had almost everything, except butter. Butter you need the butter in order to make cookies otherwise you have things worse than in the picture. Or perhaps you have what’s pictured in the picture. What is pictured in the picture tasted as bad as it looks.

My back up plan was in the form of a Betty Crocker cake mix I had forgotten about. I bought it for the heck of it not too long ago, but unfortunately when I wanted to bake it, I had no eggs. What’s a cake without eggs? It’s pretty much like the cookies without butter. You just don’t want to go there.

So the cake isn’t all that attractive, but neither is the word “Festivus”. It’s a Hershey’s Chocolate flavor with vanilla frosting, red sprinkles and crumbled Nestle’s Crunch sticks.

Next year I’m  going to plan our winter holiday a little better and come up with a better sounding name.

Continue reading Happy Festivus?

Miss Conduct’s indispensable guide to a jolly season.

By Robin Abrahams  |  November 19, 2006

ASKING AN ADVICE COLUMNIST HER OPINION of the holiday season is rather like asking an emergency room physician her opinion of motorcycles. We rarely hear about the times when things work out well. I have never, for example, gotten a letter like this:

Dear Miss Conduct, I just wanted to write and tell you what a great Christmas our family had. All the family members loved their presents, and the shopping came in well under budget this year! Uncle Sid from the Jewish side made his famous latkes and sang a hilarious version of “The Hanukkah Song.” Chandra, our new sister-in-law from India, looked beautiful in her red-and-green sari and said she was amazed at how much Christmas and Diwali have in common. The kids behaved like little angels and, best of all, Mom stayed sober the whole day!

No, I don’t get very many letters like that. Don’t get me wrong: The holiday season can inspire joy, generosity, playfulness, indulgence, nostalgia, spiritual renewal, and love. But it can also be difficult for the bereaved, members of minority religions, the unhappily single, the unhappily married, those who desperately want children and don’t have them, people with difficult children, people with difficult parents, people who are broke or in debt, those struggling with their weight, recovering addicts, teachers and students facing end-of-semester deadlines, anyone who works in the retail, travel, or service industries, and everyone with close friends or relatives in any of the above categories.

In short, all of us. Which is why approaching the holidays in the spirit of Murphy’s Law, grim though it may sound on the surface, ultimately makes sense. Here, then, are some tips to avoid the most common missteps and make the holidays what we all want them to be. Let’s start with the elephant in the room.

For Christmas People: There Is No “War on Christmas,” So Get Over It. Last year, a group of loudmouths decided to make a big fuss about a nonexistent “War on Christmas,” the major point of which, as far as anyone could tell, was that people were occasionally being wished “Happy Holidays” and that religious displays in public squares were correctly identified as such. Christians were urged to fight this “war” by sticking proudly to their guns and wishing everyone around them a Merry, Militant Christmas. This is utterly ridiculous – and utterly against the spirit of Christmas. As a religious holiday, Christmas celebrates the miracle of God entering the world as an infant born in a stable: naked, poor, and powerless. The most beloved secular myths of Christmas are also about treating the poor (Bob Cratchit), the different (Rudolph), and the humble (Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree) with respect and compassion. So how about showing a little of that Christmas spirit to others who don’t celebrate as you do? Particularly, don’t get snooty with salesclerks who wish you “Happy Holidays.” You’re not standing up for any grand principle when a clerk says “Happy Holidays,” and you respond “Merry Christmas!” in a snarky tone. You’re just being mean to people who probably make $6.75 an hour, so stop it.

Know That “Happy Holidays” Is PC – Plain Courtesy. Saying “Happy Holidays” doesn’t mean that you’re denying your religion or cultural practices; it means you’re being considerate to others who might not share them. (Or that you’re covering Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s for people whom you don’t see that often.) That said, if you do know what holiday someone celebrates, it’s rather silly not to wish him or her a nice specific one. When the Cohens show up at the Mahoneys’ annual December party, a round of stilted “Happy Holidays” at party’s end sounds a bit ridiculous. Better for the Mahoneys to wish their guests “Happy Hanukkah” and the Cohens to wish their hosts a “Merry Christmas.” A diverse city like Boston includes more than just Christians and Jews, and “Happy Holidays” works fine if you’re not sure what, if anything, someone celebrates. (It’s not always simple. Some non-Christians celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday, and some Christians do not celebrate Christmas.) Whatever your religion or lack thereof, chances are you’re getting some time off in November or December or bonus pay for working, so “Happy Holidays” is appropriate.

For Non-Christmas People: You’re in the Minority, So Get Over It. Being wished “Merry Christmas” is hardly the same thing as being baptized and forced to recite the catechism at gunpoint. If you are a Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or random heathen who is wished “Merry Christmas,” look at it as an opportunity to espouse your values and tell your well-wisher how you plan to spend December 25: “Thanks! I’ll be subbing for one of my colleagues at the hospital so she can be with her family.” “Merry Christmas to you, too. My friends and I always get together for Chinese food and a movie.” “I can’t wait. Christmas is one of the few days of the year I have time to get to the mosque for all five prayers!”

Remember That Excessive Christmas-ness Gets on Everyone’s Nerves. Many folks who don’t celebrate Christmas are annoyed by the holiday’s relentless in-your-faceness. Here’s a secret: It annoys most Christmas-celebrators, too. Even the most rabid Santaphile does not want to hear those sleigh bells jingling and ring-ting-tingling before the Halloween candy is cleared from the shelves. And if the ubiquitous decorations irritate you, be grateful that you’re not the one who has to dig them out, put them up, and take them down every year.

So can we all just get along now, and none of this “War on Christmas” nonsense? Good.

Well it’s Monday although it feels like a Saturday. It’s a day do over? I’m trying to recall what I did Saturday that I can re-do today. Could it possibly be that I did… not much?

The kitty is getting “fixed” today, yay. Which means she’ll be good to come home on Wednesday, yay. Which means- am I truly turning into the cat lady? Ash had better pick up Mila as one cat is good- two cats might require intervention. If I were allowed dogs here, I know I’d have one or two of them, along with my betta and sea monkeys- I’m once more becoming my own little pet rescue home. Jonathon has reminded me though that Miley is his, Mila is Ash’s, the sea monkeys he’s claiming ownership; which leaves me with the betta.

Pictured is the cat skulking the poor Aloon. What you fail to see is that picture was taken in complete darkness. I was sitting in my chair watching shows on Hulu and wondered where that cat was. I saw slight movement in the corner and chanced a picture. Sure enough she was living up to the cliche.

With a day of sugar cookie baking ahead of us and video game play, Monday really is Saturday… only sugar cookies change the theme slightly. Yeah baby, I’m mixing it up!

Ninjas and Zombies were heavy on my mind yesterday, so much so that I completely spaced off robots. The REAL threat! Oooh what about ninja robots???? It looks like I’m going to spend the evening coming up with a survival plan should robots attack. Fret not readers, stick with me and we can combat anything thrown our way- providing they are robotic or the undead. I’m not even sure about the robot survival, and my zombie survival pretty much spelled out that I’m screwed. Perhaps I won’t be able to save mankind after all I guess that can move me to my alternative plan: Global Domination. I’ve already come across quite a few helpful books that can assist. I do realize that friends of mine have been hearing my threat to take over the world for years and it may seem empty. What they don’t know is that plans like that take a very long time. You can’t just “take over the world” once the idea pops in your head. I do have a basket full of apples, are you scared yet? NOW you’ll take me seriously won’t you?

If Buddhist monks can surf the net, then why can’t the ninja step into the modern age? Bling baby, yeah that’s right you read me… Ninja Bling! You can be stealth and still show your wealth.

What ninja wouldn’t want to pimp their gear if they felt they were still keepin’ it ninja? If I were a ninja I would SO be into this. We at AG thought we’d throw the idea out there because bling is da bomb, ninja’s are da bomb; and yo baby, it’s all for profit… er… tradition.
From Tabi Boots to Star Pouches, we’ve got you pimped.

Continue reading DP: Ninja Bling!