I've never been much for New Year's - if I haven't worked them, I've found going out to be more on the disappointing side - I'd really rather stay home on what is perhaps the biggest night of the year to see more people drinking and driving. I also feel like by the time Christmas has come and gone, there have been enough other things to mark a year's passing. There have been this year, and this holiday season has been marked with a bit of sadness. In the grand scheme of things, our life journeys are filled with both joy and sadness, and we simply have to keep moving through both.
My hope this year on New Year's Eve, is that more people stay safe out on the roads tonight. Being a very moderate drinker myself, I'm not so worried about myself as I am the people who over indulge. I'll stay sober and hope that things conclude as early as possible from what I hope to be a good night at work. The new year starts at my parents' house with our traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner. The superstition is that you eat poor on the first day of the year, prosper throughout the year.
I gave up making New Year's resolutions many years ago - but I do like to assess things this time of the year. On my own journey I want to do the following things - and I hesitate to call them resolutions, because I think of these things throughout the year. That being said, here's what I want from this new year:
To continue eating healthier:
No processed foods
Less sugar
More vegetables
More juicing
Drink more water
Drink less alcohol
Less meat
continue to exercise
read more
be kinder to others
be kinder to myself
rid myself of toxic relationships
be the best version of me I can
ride more miles on my bicycle
take better pictures
improve my writing
get things published & get paid for them
break into the writing markets I feel I could do well in
help others whenever possible
be generous when I can be towards others
nurture the good relationships that I have in my life
downsize and purge this place of all the things I don't really need
work at my creative best
give something back and make a difference
...and lastly, to keep my attitude focused on being grateful for the wonderful people I have in my life as family and friends - and to notice more of the things that bring me joy and share as much of that as possible.
There you have it - these are ongoing things and not so much resolutions that only come around this time of the year. Every year at this time, I see a lot of people new at the gym - and I always wonder if they'll stick with it. It's always interesting to see all the new faces start dropping off. All I can say is that I hope that if you're joining a gym this time of the year, stick with it - because no matter how tough it is to get started taking better care of yourself, you're worth it.
Happy New Year everyone - please be safe if you're out and about tonight, and let's all make 2019 a better year for all of us. Peace, good people.
CRO
Sarcasm spoken here
Monday, December 31, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
...and now there's a cat living here.
You read that correctly, there is indeed a cat living here now. It's not that I'm any less of a dog person, in fact over a year and a half after having to put my last dog down, I came pretty close to getting another dog this Summer. As it turns out, it was not to be. I was disappointed, but I ended up having faith that there will be another dog some day - when the time is right.
I was fine with this not being the time for another dog, and then a friend showed me a video of another friend's kittens. I noticed this adorable little Siamese looking kitten tumbling off of a chair and my heart melted. Suddenly a cat seemed like a more peaceful entry/return to being a pet owner. Since I currently live in an apartment community, I've noticed that I have neighbors who have dogs that are rather unruly. To be honest, my last dog was a bit of a struggle - mind you I was fine with that, but I gave a lot of thought to how my dog was to my neighbors and people who don't like dogs. It seems a lot of dog owners don't do that - and a lot of them should. Alas, I can't fix the world of irresponsible pet owners.
The more I thought about this gorgeous and completely adorable kitten, the more it seemed like a cat would be a more peaceful solution to having a pet again. That's what I thought anyway...and I do think that will be the case - but not until some of this kitten's energy wears off a bit. A lot, actually. Oh it's a whole different vibe having a cat around here than it ever was with a dog:
For starters, I don't have to take the cat out first thing in the morning - or when I get home from work. That's good news. The bad news is, unless I stay on top of it, I have a box of...well, you know, in my utility room. You hear a thing or two about how cats can be trained to use a toilet - but having only one bathroom in my place, I opted to eliminate the possibility of having to wait in even a small line.
Another good thing about a cat is that there are no sudden fits of barking. Instead there's quite a bit of lurking. Cats fucking love the element of surprise and they can be stealthy little shits. There's a lot of aha moments - and often they're not especially calm ones (from here on out in this post, the part of my cat and her intended thoughts, will be played by italics:
A-ha!! There you are! I've found you - I bet you didn't know I was HERE!
No, no I didn't. Yup, there you are indeed. Did you want something?
Yes! I wanted to startle you for no real reason - I am HERE!
Yes, yes you are. Bravo. What's next?
Silence! You will know what's next when I decide it is time for you to know! THEN you will see what's next!
Oh. Okay - thanks for the heads up. Note to self: Get this little shit a collar with a bell on it so that I can have advance warning as to the whereabouts of this creature that now calls this place home. One of us has got to care whether or not she's underfoot and it doesn't appear to be her.
Holy shit! Get this thing off of me!
If only I could - sorry, you're gonna have to trust me here little cat, annoying as this bell collar is, it's going to do us both a lot of favors.
Nonsense! Remove it at once!
Sorry, no can do. Give it some time.
Time has eased the adjusting to having a bell around her neck - and it has, more often than not, alerted me to the presence of a kitten that is now twice the size of the tiny little bundle of fur that came to live here just a few weeks ago. Trust me, she can still be pretty sneaky and stealthy.
Here I am! You are startled once again by my ability to sneak up on you!
Whatever.
Ha! I shall attack your feet for no reason at all...other than to prove to you that i am aware of all things in this dwelling!
Do what you must, I heard you this time.
You only heard because I wanted you to hear me!
Listen, whatever you need to tell yourself....
There are two things that make this kitten different than a Tiger or a Mountain Lion:
1) Size
2) Territory
...three things if I were to count her rather domestic markings, which are Siamese like and render her adorable. Yup, that's my cat - a fierce hunter. Her prey, at least thus far in our relationship, is limited to the things she can fuck up around this place - by knocking them over for no apparent reason and then looking at me as if she were doing me a favor:
There - I pushed that glass of water off the edge of the coffee table for you - YOU'RE WELCOME.
Yeah. I noticed. Thanks so much. Your logic is flawed - can you not do that again, please?
You sign up for these kinds of things. At the moment the very notion of a cat being a more peaceful method of pet ownership seems a ways off. I know the day will come, but it may not be any time soon. Meanwhile much of this little feline's actions are amusing - though sometimes it take a while for the amusement factor to settle in. I can say without hesitation, that dogs seem pretty far removed from Wolves in many of their actions - and appearances. Cats? Not so different from any of the bigger cats - it's often like they are creatures that were sized down, given different color markings and then placed in living rooms throughout the world.
Should we hunt differently than in the wild?
No - we do the same things, it's just that instead of climbing trees, rocks or mountain sides, we amble up the backs of sofas, leap onto counters and kitchen tables and go through spells of avoiding human contact.
Me-OW - and get this: these humans put food in front of us, provide water and health care for us, and here's the best part: Elimination worries? So not our problem - this guy cleans it out of a box for me, hell I don't even have to bury it - I mean I do, of course - I'm a cat and I can't fall behind on my burying skills, but seriously - I could never bury another nugget of poop as long as I live and it just wouldn't make a difference..
Shut UP!
It's true - SWEAR.
It's that fierce hunter in her that has me shutting the bedroom door at night, because once the lights go out, the appeal of the jungle looms too large a temptation for her to ignore. By jungle I mean the top of my computer desk, on which there are speakers that need to be hunted down and knocked over. A picture of my late dog - which most definitely should not be left standing on an angle on display - it's my cat's feline duty to make sure this photograph gets knocked face down...at once. Let's not forget the various and sundry pencil jars of makers and ink pens - these should be on the floor, and preferably they'll be knocked over onto that floor once the guy who pays the bills around here keeping said cat in litter and food (that guy is me) has fallen asleep - how else would I notice what my cat has done for me than to have my bare feet step on these markers and pens before I've had a single sip of coffee. Now's a good time to point out that this is probably as uncomfortable and surprising as stepping on a Lego or other kids toy unsuspectingly. All I'm saying is, that can hurt. It ain't gonna kill you, but it can hurt.
So there you have it - things are different around here, because a cat lives here now.
The terminology between cats and their humans seems to be a lot different:
What I say: NO!
My cat's reply - or so it seems: whatever
NO! God________!
Lighten up, would you? Jeez you're loud sometimes
For all the rather unpleasant things I signed up for, it's the moments of joy in between these kinds of things that make the journey worthwhile. For the time being, it's a bit like having a foreign exchange student staying here - we're both used to different things. Carry on.
CRO
I was fine with this not being the time for another dog, and then a friend showed me a video of another friend's kittens. I noticed this adorable little Siamese looking kitten tumbling off of a chair and my heart melted. Suddenly a cat seemed like a more peaceful entry/return to being a pet owner. Since I currently live in an apartment community, I've noticed that I have neighbors who have dogs that are rather unruly. To be honest, my last dog was a bit of a struggle - mind you I was fine with that, but I gave a lot of thought to how my dog was to my neighbors and people who don't like dogs. It seems a lot of dog owners don't do that - and a lot of them should. Alas, I can't fix the world of irresponsible pet owners.
The more I thought about this gorgeous and completely adorable kitten, the more it seemed like a cat would be a more peaceful solution to having a pet again. That's what I thought anyway...and I do think that will be the case - but not until some of this kitten's energy wears off a bit. A lot, actually. Oh it's a whole different vibe having a cat around here than it ever was with a dog:
For starters, I don't have to take the cat out first thing in the morning - or when I get home from work. That's good news. The bad news is, unless I stay on top of it, I have a box of...well, you know, in my utility room. You hear a thing or two about how cats can be trained to use a toilet - but having only one bathroom in my place, I opted to eliminate the possibility of having to wait in even a small line.
Another good thing about a cat is that there are no sudden fits of barking. Instead there's quite a bit of lurking. Cats fucking love the element of surprise and they can be stealthy little shits. There's a lot of aha moments - and often they're not especially calm ones (from here on out in this post, the part of my cat and her intended thoughts, will be played by italics:
A-ha!! There you are! I've found you - I bet you didn't know I was HERE!
No, no I didn't. Yup, there you are indeed. Did you want something?
Yes! I wanted to startle you for no real reason - I am HERE!
Yes, yes you are. Bravo. What's next?
Silence! You will know what's next when I decide it is time for you to know! THEN you will see what's next!
Oh. Okay - thanks for the heads up. Note to self: Get this little shit a collar with a bell on it so that I can have advance warning as to the whereabouts of this creature that now calls this place home. One of us has got to care whether or not she's underfoot and it doesn't appear to be her.
Holy shit! Get this thing off of me!
If only I could - sorry, you're gonna have to trust me here little cat, annoying as this bell collar is, it's going to do us both a lot of favors.
Nonsense! Remove it at once!
Sorry, no can do. Give it some time.
Time has eased the adjusting to having a bell around her neck - and it has, more often than not, alerted me to the presence of a kitten that is now twice the size of the tiny little bundle of fur that came to live here just a few weeks ago. Trust me, she can still be pretty sneaky and stealthy.
Here I am! You are startled once again by my ability to sneak up on you!
Whatever.
Ha! I shall attack your feet for no reason at all...other than to prove to you that i am aware of all things in this dwelling!
Do what you must, I heard you this time.
You only heard because I wanted you to hear me!
Listen, whatever you need to tell yourself....
There are two things that make this kitten different than a Tiger or a Mountain Lion:
1) Size
2) Territory
...three things if I were to count her rather domestic markings, which are Siamese like and render her adorable. Yup, that's my cat - a fierce hunter. Her prey, at least thus far in our relationship, is limited to the things she can fuck up around this place - by knocking them over for no apparent reason and then looking at me as if she were doing me a favor:
There - I pushed that glass of water off the edge of the coffee table for you - YOU'RE WELCOME.
Yeah. I noticed. Thanks so much. Your logic is flawed - can you not do that again, please?
You sign up for these kinds of things. At the moment the very notion of a cat being a more peaceful method of pet ownership seems a ways off. I know the day will come, but it may not be any time soon. Meanwhile much of this little feline's actions are amusing - though sometimes it take a while for the amusement factor to settle in. I can say without hesitation, that dogs seem pretty far removed from Wolves in many of their actions - and appearances. Cats? Not so different from any of the bigger cats - it's often like they are creatures that were sized down, given different color markings and then placed in living rooms throughout the world.
Should we hunt differently than in the wild?
No - we do the same things, it's just that instead of climbing trees, rocks or mountain sides, we amble up the backs of sofas, leap onto counters and kitchen tables and go through spells of avoiding human contact.
Me-OW - and get this: these humans put food in front of us, provide water and health care for us, and here's the best part: Elimination worries? So not our problem - this guy cleans it out of a box for me, hell I don't even have to bury it - I mean I do, of course - I'm a cat and I can't fall behind on my burying skills, but seriously - I could never bury another nugget of poop as long as I live and it just wouldn't make a difference..
Shut UP!
It's true - SWEAR.
It's that fierce hunter in her that has me shutting the bedroom door at night, because once the lights go out, the appeal of the jungle looms too large a temptation for her to ignore. By jungle I mean the top of my computer desk, on which there are speakers that need to be hunted down and knocked over. A picture of my late dog - which most definitely should not be left standing on an angle on display - it's my cat's feline duty to make sure this photograph gets knocked face down...at once. Let's not forget the various and sundry pencil jars of makers and ink pens - these should be on the floor, and preferably they'll be knocked over onto that floor once the guy who pays the bills around here keeping said cat in litter and food (that guy is me) has fallen asleep - how else would I notice what my cat has done for me than to have my bare feet step on these markers and pens before I've had a single sip of coffee. Now's a good time to point out that this is probably as uncomfortable and surprising as stepping on a Lego or other kids toy unsuspectingly. All I'm saying is, that can hurt. It ain't gonna kill you, but it can hurt.
So there you have it - things are different around here, because a cat lives here now.
The terminology between cats and their humans seems to be a lot different:
What I say: NO!
My cat's reply - or so it seems: whatever
NO! God________!
Lighten up, would you? Jeez you're loud sometimes
For all the rather unpleasant things I signed up for, it's the moments of joy in between these kinds of things that make the journey worthwhile. For the time being, it's a bit like having a foreign exchange student staying here - we're both used to different things. Carry on.
CRO
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