Bad cat.

I've been trying to toilet train my cat. I bought a "litter kwitter" which consists of a toilet seat shaped tray with several toilet hole shaped inserts. You set a solid tray in first while the cat gets used to pooping up on the toilet. Then you gradually replace the inserts, each with a larger hole in their center. Eventually, the cat is supposed to just go into the toilet and you can then remove the whole contraption.

Yesterday I changed the tray for the first time. This one still holds litter, but has about a 3x5 inch hole in the center. I also had to change the litter from regular clay, to a recycled paper litter (so it would be flushable). Later, I heard a terrible noise coming from the bathroom. I went to investigate and the cat was tearing into the bag of new litter like it was a fresh bag of cat food.

Okay, so I took care of that and went to bed. In the middle of the night I woke up to a loud crash in the bathroom. As I head to the bathroom, the cat tears past me. I looked in the bathroom and there was litter everywhere- but not from the bag, from the tray. The cat came and stood in the doorway. I picked her up to see if she had fallen through the hole. She wasn't wet at all so I set her onto the new litter tray. She struggled against me, and tried to bite my hand. I did it again, holding her there and petting her, showing her she could scratch in the litter. She ran away. I went to bed.

We came home today from being out several hours. I knew something was wrong as soon as we walked in the door. The familiar faint odor of cat pee was not hanging around the hallway bathroom as it usually is.

I went into the kitchen. "Sniff." I smell poop. "Sniff, sniff.." I started investigating...following the stench to- my NEW SHAG RUG!

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

So it's outside now drying in the sun. The rug, not the cat. I put the first tray back into the litter kwitter and showed it to her. She ran away to the living room, where I sat on the couch and glared at her.

Then I heard from the other room where Gordon is playing Mario, "Louie! Hang on, don't you know I'm fighting the boss?" And I laughed and laughed. Because I'm pretty sure he was serious.

Cat

Today, I prefer the cat. The dog is acting weird and obnoxious. He keeps sniffing in my ear. The cat is all cute and sitting like a little roast turkey, snoring and minding her own business.

Hmm?

You may be wondering why I post what I eat. I look at it as a kind of accountability thing. I'd like to get to the point one day where I am eating so healthy, people don't even recognize the foods I'm talking about anymore. Or maybe not that extreme- but somewhere in there I hope for improvement. Believe it or not, my diet has improved. I used to eat lots of ramen, yaki-soba, canned heavy cream with msg soup, all of which had enough sodium to cure an entire pig farm.

So that's that. Oh- today I had chicken primavera with angel hair, a packet of sixlets, blue Koolaid, coffee and water.

I think I have neglected to mention that we got a dog a while back. He's an animal shelter special. Chihuahua, beagle, jack russel, dachshund, etc. Mostly looks like a slightly larger chihuahua. Very cute. Light brown with a brown nose, and white feet. For a long time, we thought potty training was going to be a lost cause. He would go outside when we took him, but then would go in his crate while we were away, almost without fail, even if we were gone less than an hour. He would also poop in random places- like the middle of the kitchen floor. And God help you if you left some clothes on the bathroom floor- they would surely be peed upon. Well, I don't know if it's coincidence or if my parents in law are some kind of dog-whisperers, because we left him in their care one weekend, and he hasn't gone in the house since. Not once.

He is also learning nicely how to walk on a leash without acting like an idiot.
We still have the problem of him getting away from us (getting out of the leash, escaping when we open the door) and running down the street, taking great joy in eluding us and taking no notice of approaching vehicles. It has only been the kindness of neighbors/strangers, who he will run up to, being willing to seize him that he hasn't disappeared/died. We figure this is how he ended up in the shelter in the first place.

Anyways, he has improved in obedience so much that I almost think I like him better than the cat. I can't believe I'm saying this. I still love my kitty, and she will always be my favorite by default, but Louie (dog) is quickly closing the gap. When Gordon leaves, Louie gets into bed, gets under the covers and curls up as close to me as he can get. It's precious. Today he actually got into Gordon's spot and had his head and arms out of the covers, and his head on the pillow- just like a little person. The cat is also beginning to accept his presence every now and then. Sometimes they play and chase each other around the house and it warms my heart. Now he just has to learn the difference between playful cat and angry cat.

I make a point to play with Zelda (cat) and brush her once or twice a day, which she loves, so that she doesn't feel forgotten. She also still likes to get up on my desk while I'm working and steal things, lay on papers, and knead my lap with her claws- things I cherish which doggie will never be able to do.

Oct. 14

The cat just ran off with my kneaded eraser. Of all the items on my desk, she chose that. How odd.

Today I ate leftover green curry rice and coffee. Then we went to Outback and I had teriyaki fillet medallions with pepper and onion, caesar salad and mashed potatoes. Later I ate some candy corn and 4 oreos with a glass of milk.

Oct. 11 was our 1 year wedding anniversary. We made it one whole year and honestly, it was the easiest year of my life. Very fun, low stress, fulfilling, etc. I recommend (to women) marrying a very easy-going man who can be aloof at times, but always ends up doing something thoughtful in the end. One who reads, and takes time to help others, doesn't always have to be right but often is, and let's you be yourself- whatever that may be from day to day.

It's my mom's birthday- Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!

Hallowe'en?

It's my favorite holiday. It's my birthday. It's candy and costumes. It's my favorite colors. It's my favorite season and time of day. The mystery and electricity in the air. The smell of fake cobwebs! The low quality "scary laugh" sound effects of front door-step decor. Glowing pumpkins with ghastly grins. The knowledge that something might jump out and scare you, but you will be okay.

Did I mention the candy?

Oh yeah, I did.

Well anyway, I've been planning a Halloween party on and off for a couple months now.

1. I get to planning, I have a moral crisis. (Why am I spending money on this party when I could feed an African village/orphan/refugee with it instead?)
2. I get back to planning, I have a self-esteem crisis. (Eight-thousand people are having Halloween parties, why would anyone choose mine!?)
3. I get back to planning, I have a spiritual crisis. (How can we make light of the dark when real evil is taking place all around us?)
4. I get back to planning, I have an existential crisis. (Why am i spending my time and effort on this when we could all be dead tomorrow?)

First, I just wanted to have a Halloween party. Then, I told myself it was for my birthday- that's a good reason to have a party, right? Next, I told myself it's for our class at church to get together and fellowship. Now I'm trying to extrapolate/interpolate/interpret (Something!!) some sort of meaning into the holiday. "How can I use this party to help, teach, inspire, etc." Because if I can't do that, then there is no reason to have this party and having it would be wrong. (Or would it? Does everything have to have an explicit purpose?)

Am I wrestling so hard with this because it is wrong? Or because it is right? I realize there can be a blessing for someone, even if I am unaware completely. Am I just making excuses, or am I slowly deducing a true reason to have a party?

The reason I enjoy throwing parties at our house is that I like a certain amount of order to a get-together. I'm not a fan of the parties where everyone just stands around and makes small-talk and gets drunk for four hours. A time of that is fine, but I like to also have some planned activities. If it's not a huge group, I think it's nice for everyone to get to know who all the other people are with which they are sharing a room. I like at least one game. Even a short, easy game. Just to divert attention for a while, and maybe for a good laugh. Something like pin the tail on the donkey.

I like for parties to have some small vestiges of a purpose. If it's a Christmas party, how about sharing the Christmas story, or an interesting Christmas experience someone had as a child? (Like, one Christmas our house burned down and we had to spend it with our crazy Uncle Ed, who literally went driving until he hit a deer for us to eat for Christmas dinner.)

I guess I like a little creativity and imagination in a party. I think that creates bonding experiences, which are more important than free Long Island iced teas. Not that I'm against those.

What I ate today (Oct. 6, 2010)

Today was better:

- Honey Nut Cheerios w/ 2% milk

- Baked ziti with chicken

- Caesar Salad

- Small piece of garlic bread

- Two small chocolate chip cookies

- Coffee

- Water

- Some raisinettes

- A couple bites of a McDonald's cheeseburger

I got a new rug today. It's a shag rug from India made of little jute ropes that have been dyed orange. It's not the softest rug, but it is more comfortable than the bare floor. I think it will hide any stains, pet hairs, crumbs, etc. really well. I've been shopping for a rug forever. It's hard to find square rugs at local discount stores- so props to overstock.com for a very good price, big selection, and super cheap and fast shipping. I recommend.

What I ate today (Oct. 5, 2010)

I ate terribly today. Nutritionists and dietitians throughout the universe suffered from unexplained stomach pains and general malaise.

- Coffee

- Milky Way bar

- More coffee

- A third of a can of Bush's Baked Beans

- A slice of gouda

- 5 Ritz crackers

- 2 Reese's Pieces I found on the table

- An apple

- A creamsicle

- A cherry blowpop

- Water

As I was writing this, the cat walked by with a paint roller in her mouth, dragged it into the living room and howled.

We went grocery shopping tonight and on the way, we passed a woman who was sitting in the middle of the street, going through some white plastic trash bags. I called the police because I was worried she was going to get hit. She had been out there at least an hour when we called because Gordon had seen her on his way home. On the way back from the store, she was still pawing through the bags but had moved to the other side of the street. Gordon offered her some assistance which she refused. The cops showed up about 1.5 hours after we called. Strange indeed.