Difference of Opinion

Yesterday, I wanted to let the cats into the backyard, so I got out thier belled collars, so they would at least be identifiable.  Matti let his be put on with a minimum of fuss, but Martin squirmed and pushed and would not allow me to put on his collar.  I held him tightly for a while, talking to him and hoping he would calm down.  He did not.  Finally, I let him go, but he had given me a couple of deep gouges in the inside of my elbows from his back claws.  I took Matti outside, hoping it would count as a reward.  Martin dodged around for about an hour and a half (while I ignored him completely) and then he decided he forgave me.
Next time, I'll have a big towel handy to mummify him.  They *have* to get used to the collar being taken on and off.

Tomato Fun

I am always on the lookout for funny and insightful writers on the Internet. Believe me, they are few and far between. Of the millions of blogs, about 95% of them are dross. I've just found one that I think I'll be visiting regularly and is of that 5% non-dross category.
The entry in which her cats are revealed as middle-aged psychologists transplanted into feline bodies in order to perform stress tests on thier subject (owner) is hilarious.
The site is Tomato Nation and is produced by Sarah D. Bunting. From now on, you will find it in my list of links. Enjoy!

Dilemma

Someone mentioned that they have lime smoothies at Jamba Juice and that sounds perfect for a hot day like today.
BUT
The Jamba Juice is (counts on fingers)... over six blocks away. That's over half a mile -- way too far to walk on a hot day like today.
Drive, you say? Ah, but Jamba Juice is situated next to The Death Lot. Which is so badly designed and so over crowded at lunch time, you are taking your life into your hands to drive there.

What to do? What to do?

The Good and the Bad

Sometimes I get really depressed about how ugly people can be. Yesterday, while I was walking back to work after lunch, I saw a mean guy in a car yell at and give The Finger to a bicyclist. The bicyclist was merely crossing at an intersection (two way stop sign) and the motorist had to *slow down to the speed limit* in order to let him cross. I mean, come on! It wasn't like he had to jam on his brakes; he had plenty of time to see the bicyclist start across. How much time did it add to his travel to slow down a little? And how likely is it that he would have to stop at light a couple blocks further anyway? I sympathize with the cyclist because as a pedestrian I've had to practically run across that difficult intersection many a time.
Inconsiderate drivers are bad enough without the added ugliness of uncalled-for profanity.

On the flip side:
I guess the overtime wasn't so bad after all. :) Not only did the presentation go very well and the client was impressed, but the boss took the entire office out for lunch at a local pub for burgers and margaritas (or enchiladas and beer, or what have you...). I like being appreciated!

Pagentry of Life

Here's the funny link of the day:

An article by a brave woman (writing for Slate Magazine) who tries out things people have wondered about but never had the guts to try. This time, she entered a beauty pageant...

Part I: Entering and Preparations
Part II: The Pagent

Devaluing my work?

This week I have been working overtime at my job. This is unpaid overtime, with no compensation other than warm fuzzies and the thanks of my bosses. My officemate contends that we get paid for every hour we work, the (monetary) value of the the others just goes down to compensate. $40/day at 8 hours = $5/hour, but if you work 10 hours, you're only paid $4/hour. Either way, I don't like working overtime. Compensation just prevents me from feeling taken advantage of, but even then I'd prefer to have the time than have the money.
I miss my cats. I miss being able to relax in the evenings. I miss working on my little projects around the house.
I don't like the rat race. I think it's a self-perpetuating and self-imposed myth. I renounce thee capitalistic culture! (Right after I buy a digital camera and a PDA ;)

Floor o' Glory

If the walls look awful, at least the floor looks Awesome!!
Thanks to Paden for helping me out (scraping floor, vacuuming, washing floor, putting down whole tiles and making paper patterns for the tiles going around door jambs).
When I get done the cut tiles around the edge, I'll think about a new color for the walls.

In other news, The Weed Forest behind my house has been razed. When Paden saw it, she said "Those are the tallest weeds I've ever seen!" I realized they were just starting to be taller than the 6' wood fence and the neighbors would start to be able to see it. It was then I knew -- The Weed Forest must go.

Painting Flop

I finished painting the basement yesterday, but despite all my artistic "talent", it doesn't look good.
Oh well. I've got to keep on schedule, and next is the vinyl floor tile.
When Aileen and Brian get here, if they totally hate the walls, we can repaint.

I guess this is one time I'm glad my blog doesn't support pictures yet.