Category Archives: Those Cats

Contests, Reading, Those Cats

Wireless woes

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Argh – my wireless connection hasn’t been very stable for the past few days. Consequently, I’m behind on bloglines again and am a little frustrated at how many attempts it took me to get this post (such as it is) together. Fortunately, after an hour on the phone with tech support last night (aka “Dad”), things should be a lot better now. Just too many wireless networks in my little corner of the metropolis, apparently, all of us fighting for the same few channels.

Contest Update
Lisa has a lot of patterns from her LYS closing – leave a comment at Lisa’s blog for Libby (owner of the LYS), and you could receive a pattern or patterns.

Karrie’s having Fake Rhinebeck Post contest – if you didn’t go to Rhinebeck, go stashdiving and get excited again about yarn you already own! Post a picture and blog about it before midnight (PDT), October 27, and you could win a fibery prize.

Reading Update
Gone with the Nerd, Nerd in Shining Armor, and My Nerdy Valentine by Vicki Lee Thompson. Formulaic and trashy – but I’m enjoying these silly books anyway… although My Nerdy Valentine was my least favorite so far.
The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires by Katie MacAlister. I got the giggles when I saw this title at the library. It was a “meh” read, which was pretty much what I expected. 🙂
Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton. Finished this one and started the next… and put that one down after 20 pages. I just can’t get sufficiently engaged in Agatha Raisin…
Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Ok, I admit it – I’m completely addicted to the Dark Hunter books now and wish I’d been reading them in the correct order instead of skipping a few here and there.
D.A. by Connie Willis. This young adult science fiction book was ok (the moral of the story wasn’t subtle at all!), but so short that it seems far better suited for a short story collection than as a standalone novel.
Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster. Ever wondered what it would be like if Jane Austen has written her novels as “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? Wonder no more! 😉 A cute premise that seems to owe some inspiration to Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next novels, I’m glad I got this from the library and didn’t purchase it.

“Why, yes, I did gobble down the big kitty. You won’t be hearing any whining from him anymore.” *burp* -Mayhem

Those Cats

In which Mayhem plays with the Magic Goldfish Wand Toy (MGWT)

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Since many of you seemed so interested in the Magic Goldfish Wand Toy (MGWT), allow me to present (with Jeanne’s expert assistance as MGWT operator) Mayhem in action. Blurry action, even using my camera’s sport mode – be warned! (Note that the dirt in the background was from a little plant tipping incident and was cleaned up as soon as my dad arrived with the wee vacuum cleaner.)

*twitch twitch twitch* -Mayhem

*lunge* -Mayhem

“Hmph. It keeps getting away from me!” -Mayhem

“Drat!” -Mayhem

“I’m sure I can get it this time!” -Mayhem

“Whew!” *pant pant pant* -Mayhem

“Noooooo! Please don’t put it back in the closet! Please!” -Mayhem

Contests, Those Cats

In which Mayhem goes to the vet

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Jeanne and Miss T have posted about our dyeing adventures on Saturday.

Roxie’s looking for pictures of your hands doing knitterly things. You could win some lovely black cashmere! Deadline is midnight PDT, September 26.

Pam’s celebrating her blogiversary – answer one of the four knitting questions she poses and you could win some yummy yarn. Contest closes at 11:59 pm, September 30.

Angela’s hosting a contest for her friend Nikki, who’s been nominated for an award for her children’s book illustrations. It’s a tiny bit complicated, but by voting for Nikki, you could win some lovely goodies (and Nikki could win, too!).

Mayhem’s Big Adventure
Yesterday was Mayhem’s annual trip to the vet for a checkup and some shots. She was very, very quiet for the entire trip, which she spent huddled into a very small ball. She weighed 10.3 pounds, up from 3.1 pounds at the same time last year! The vet was particularly impressed by her soft, shiny fur and asked what I fed her (Innova EVO).

“This sucks.” -Mayhem

At first, Chaos hissed at her a lot when we got home – I wonder if he thought he was an only cat again?! But he did unbend after a bit.

“I guess you’re the same cat that was here before. Taste like it, at least.” -Chaos

“Hmph.” -Mayhem

After feeling horribly guilty for the entire trip to the vet because May looked so miserable, I don’t think she was permanently scarred by the experience – see how suspicious she is of the cat carrier?! 😉

“Don’t look! My foot is too dirty to appear on the blog! Mom! Stop! Don’t use this picture!” -Mayhem

“Hmm, I wonder if I’ll get abducted again if I go in there…” -Mayhem

“Hey, big kitty… Hee hee hee.” -Mayhem

Knitting, Those Cats

Addis – not just for breakfast anymore

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Warning: This post contains graphic photos of violence against Addi Turbo knitting needles. Sensitive souls might want to pass this post right on by.

It may shock you to discover that I’ve been working on a sweater. (Marina? Marina? Are you ok?! Maybe someone could help Marina to her feet…)

The sweater in question is the Knitting Pure and Simple Neck Down Shaped Cardigan #241.

“Mmmm… ring binder rings…” -Mayhem

Ok, maybe that’s not the most helpful picture – is this better?

I’m knitting it from Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. So far, it isn’t much to look at.

“Kitty bed with tasty treats built in! Yay!!!” -Mayhem

“Ahhh – Addis! My favorite!” -Mayhem

*crunch crunch crunch* -Mayhem

Contests, Those Cats

Hand over Chaos

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Pam’s been on the road – help her catch up with the knitblogging world by telling her about “the most awesomest craft creation” you’ve seen online since July 1. You could win a knitterly trinket for your trouble.

Brenda’s having a multi-stage contest to celebrate her blogiversary. For this stage, leave her a comment about what she should do for the second stage of her contest. Leave your comment by noon PDT, August 25 – and stay tuned after that for info on the next stage. There will be prizes at each stage.

Kat’s having a contest – guess how many different states’/provinces’ license plates she’s seen since last Friday and you could win sock or lace yarn. Leave your guess by midnight EDT, August 24.

Today’s just one of those days when really – I got nothin’ else. But, look! Over there! Chaos! Although, other than the ginormous paws, it could almost by Mayhem in this picture, couldn’t it?

“I am sniffing your hand with great sniffings, but I am not discovering any sign of tuna. Hmph.” -Chaos

“Hey, wait a minute! You aren’t putting this on the blog, are you?! This is so undignified. How could you do this to me, Mom?! Or, wait, is it a good look for me?” -Chaos

Contests, Those Cats, Tunes

Furry distractions and Project Spectrum mix cd contest

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Thanks so much to everyone for your words of comfort and support in the wake of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse. I, like many other Minnesotans, am still in shock over the whole thing. And as additional information comes out suggesting that this was preventable, I suspect our shock is going to turn to anger and outrage…

But I need to think about other things for a while, you know? To that end, I continue to listen to Harry Potter Book 5 (I’m moving up the library list for Book 7 at a shocking pace!) and frantically knitting my Serpentine socks, trying to finish both. I think I’m about to start the final ribbing on both cuffs of the Serpentines.

And guess what? It’s time to give away some Project Spectrum mix cds for August – September. The colors are orange-brown-purple, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the mix is weighted toward purples. Some artists on the mix include Neko Case, the Moutain Goats, Greg Brown, Los Lobos, the Okra All-Stars, and the Vitamin String Quartet. I will give away copies of the mix to three randomly selected people who send email to my contest line by 6 pm CDT, Wednesday, August 8.

Chaos hops into his my chair each time I set down ipod and knitting to get up and use the facilities or get a drink of water.

“Maybe if I look cute and asleep, she won’t roust me out of my chair.” -Chaos

You can always hope, Chaos!

“Try the extremely cute upside-down-kitty pose, big kitty. It works for me.” -Mayhem

I hope you all have a good, safe weekend.

Contests, Dyeing, Knitting, Those Cats

Attack on the Fortress of Solitude

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Jackie’s giving away two Ravelry invites – check out the details on her blog. She’ll select two lucky participants at noon EDT, July 27.

Speaking of which, the Knitty Professor needs help naming her new Delft “puking cow” creamer. Submit your name ideas by the end of the Tour (July 29) and you could win some yarn and your very own “puking animal” creamer!

Well, I was going to have pictures of the yarn I dyed with Deb and Jeanne on Saturday. However, now that the yarn is finally dry, it’s been very cloudy and too dark to photograph well. Maybe tomorrow! For knitting, I continue to plod away on my Sockamania Serpentine Socks (1.2 completed), which are also my TDF KAL project. Likelihood of completing my Tour is very low, especially since I’m heading “up nord to da cabin” on Friday for the weekend. But hey, at least I haven’t resorted to doping, right?!

Chaos has long considered the top of the refrigerator and adjoining cabinet as his Fortress of Solitude, because Mayhem wasn’t able to get up there. All of that changed recently…

“La la la la la la, I can’t see her!” -Chaos

“Hey, this is my Fortress of Solitude, Mayhem! Mine!” -Chaos

*whistling innocently* -Mayhem

“Go away! My Fortress! Mine!” -Chaos

“Hey!” -Mayhem

“Take that, big kitty!” -Mayhem

“Eeeeek! Run away!” -Chaos

“I rock.” -Mayhem

“Hmph.” -Chaos

“I didn’t want to sit on that stinky old refrigerator anyway, so there!” -Chaos

Contests, Those Cats

Nip nippin’ away

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Don’t forget about the Biteberry Yarn contest, which runs until 6 pm CDT, Friday, July 20 (aka as today)!

Wendy’s giving away a copy of The Celtic Collection. Send an email to her contest line before noon EDT, July 24.

Miss T is giving away a copy of Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued by Dr. Sue O’Doherty, which Miss T thinks “every woman who’s an artist of any kind – painter, writer, dancer, sculptor, singer, whatever – should read…” Leave a comment by noon CDT, July 24, if you’d like the chance to win.

Beware! My neighborhood pet store, Urbanimal, has some adorable rescue kitties (from Underdog Rescue) in need of homes. That’s how I ended up with Mayhem… There’s an adoption event at the store (2106 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis) on July 21 from 2 – 4 pm. Check out some of the kitties I was petting today: a little black kitty boy named Davis, a very fluffy and extremely affectionate black kitty boy named Wendell (I was oh so tempted), a handsome tuxedo kitty boy Clark Gable, a fluffy tabby and white kitty girl named Harriet (she looks like Matisse, Fraro!), and more…

Yesterday morning I was in the shower and May tried to jump up on to the shower curtain rod. I saw paws over the rod and then her little face peeking over. I could see the outline of the rest of her dangling body through the curtain… and then she fell to the floor with a mighty thump. Fortunately she seems ok. But it was scary for both of us! At least the commotion definitely woke me up.

I mentioned yesterday that KnitNana sent some homegrown catnip along with the stitchmarkers. May was quite taken with it…

“Hello? May?? Helloooooooo? Um, maybe you could let Mom get some of that nip out of the bag? Never mind, I can see it’s a lost cause… You’re such a niphead.” -Chaos

Hmm. Chaos might be onto something there…