KITTENS!!!

So, I didn't mention before, but it turns out that Mouse was pregnant when we adopted her.
She finally had her kittens this morning! Three adorable little balls of fur. :)

Of course, she'd have to choose the shoe closet as her "nest". We were sure she was going to have them either behind the couch or under the bed. She'd been spending A LOT of time there. We put down towels and a little box behind the couch and she seemed to take to it (after a while). She spent the first couple of hours after her contractions started moving between my lap and the box behind the couch. And then, just before we went to bed, she decides that the shoe closet is where she really wants to be.
When we got up this morning she was still there, nursing three tiny kittens. :) They're so adorable!
I'll try to keep you posted as they develop and grow. I can't wait 'til they open their eyes for the first time!

Meet Mouse!

Well, I haven't been blogging in quite a while. I feel bad for falling behind. I just haven't been writing much of anything lately, online or off. I guess a lot has happened in the last few months. Let's see... I've moved in with my awesomely wonderful boyfriend. I can't believe how fast the months have flown by! As he pointed out to me the other day, we've been living together for just over six months now. Wow!

We've also found ourselves with another roomie: Mouse. My mom found a little abandoned cat looking very thin and forlorn. She had a collar so Mom assumed that she belonged to someone in the area and would find her way home by the end of the day. She didn't. We couldn't find her owners anywhere in the area. There were no tags on the collar, just a bell. And with no one claiming her and the worrying weight loss she was exhibiting, Mom finally took her in. My parents already have a cat though, and the bf and I had been talking about getting one so...

Now we have Mouse. Isn't she so cute! :)

Changes

Well, I just spent an hour fiddling around with templates and backgrounds and I'm still not really happy with what I've got. There's just so many choices and combinations. I think I'll go back and look at it again later, but I just had to pick something and be done with it for now.

I could really use some cash right now!

What would I be excited to find on the ground right now? Money! I am completely and totally broke right now. I have a small amount of money in my bank account which almost exactly equals the balance on my credit card. I have NO money!

I wasn't so much with the finding of a job this summer and I was already pretty low on cash before that so...

I'm just hoping and praying that people start buying some of my jewellery. You like jewellery, right? You want a lovely amethyst necklace or a nice new pair of earrings! I know you do! I have a shop on Etsy that sells all sorts of wonderful gems! You should really check it out! *nudge, nudge* http://www.etsy.com/shop/HelenBesoe



Or, you know, if you're also broke and can't afford to buy food, let alone jewellery right now... suggestions are always welcome too!

A year out of the rat-race? Yes, please!

Stuck on a remote island with plenty of food, water, and a companion... Stress-free life... at first I was temped to say that I'd tell the rescue ship to get lost! Or maybe just run a letter to my family telling them to come visit me sometime. That seems reasonable, right?

BUT... as much as I daydream about getting away from it all... as much as I'd like to just make the whole world disappear sometimes... I don't think I'd want to stay there permanently. It sounds mad, I know.

Here's the thing though.

1) I think cabin fever would set in after a while.

2) I think I would start to miss all the people I'd left behind after a while. I'm not really the type to get homesick, but I would wonder how everyone was doing and whatnot and it'd be nice to be able to get in touch with and visit them.

3) A year on a remote island... Wouldn't you want to share your experiences? I think there might be a book in that!

4) We always wanna get away from the rat-race when we're stuck in the middle of it, but once you're away, I think you might get bored after a while. I think a year of that life would definitely not be a problem, but once it got to five years... ten? Nothing changes, no excitement... always the same old routine... wouldn't you start to go mad eventually? I mean, I suppose the companion would help with that, but that only works for so long before the cabin fever sets in.



I think my ideal situation would be to have my food, water, and companion as well as a few books, some empty journals/notebooks, and plenty of writing implements. When the rescue ship arrived... I'd tell them to check back in on me in TWO years. I think two years is a good amount of time.



Now, if there were other people on the island... some native tribe or something... people I didn't know, people from another culture... well, then I think I could quite happily stay there for five or ten years! (It would be nice to have some sort of communication with the outside world though. I don't need telephones or Internet, as long as I can get a letter out, then I'd stay.)

Holding out for the 36-hour day

Only three? I could do with about an extra 10 - 12 hours per day! In that case, I'd probably spend an extra hour or two sleeping. I'd definitely dedicate a good chunk of it to reading. I'd spend at least a couple hours on my chainmaille projects. And then rest I'd try to spend either cleaning or coding. There's just never enough time!

Wishlist: Power drill

I make chainmaille. (*shameless plug* check out my store at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HelenBesoe *shameless plug*) At the moment I make all my rings by hand. It'd be really nice if I could set up a power-winding rig. All I'd really need is a power drill and a few mandrels.

power drill madness

A high torque, low speed power drill would be really nice. Or even a variable speed drill.

All sorts of foods soothe me when I'm stressed

I don't really have one "comfort food" that I always reach for when I'm stressed or depressed. It varies from day to day, week to week. The last time I got really stressed out, I sent the boyfriend out for Wonderbread and croissants. (I almost NEVER eat white bread!) Other times I get completely different cravings.

Croissant - French Fantasies

Sometimes it's sweets and I want chocolate or ice cream or sour gummy candies.

Sometimes it's starch and I want white bread or croissants or something.

Sometimes I'll get more peculiar cravings... Dill pickles and vanilla pudding... Blue cheese and tuna... sauerkraut and hot dogs... (And, no, I'm not pregnant, just weird. :P )

Physical activity? Swimming and Biking, I guess...

Am I a regular? Sure amn't!

I do enjoy swimming, but I don't go as often as I should. If I happen to know I'm gonna be on campus during the free swim hours, I'll bring my bathing suit and swim a couple dozen lengths of the pool, but it's by no means a regular thing.

Same with biking. If I have to get somewhere, I'll grab my bike and go, but it's dependent on many things. If the weather's bad or I'm in a hurry or I'm feeling tired/lazy and I have a bus pass, I might just hop on the bus instead. If I don't have to go very far, I'd just as soon walk. (I'm not very good on a bike. I never really learned to ride one as a kid and I'm finding it a little awkward as an adult.)

Would I even notice a day without my cellphone?

I think the biggest inconvenience for me would be not know what time it is. My cellphone is also my watch as I don't particularly like wearing wrist watches.

Other than that, my phone doesn't really see that much use.

I call my parents on weekends. Occasionally I'll get a call from them, or my friends or boyfriend. But there aren't really that many people who I need to call or who need to call me.

I really wouldn't mind not having a cell phone for a day (or a week or more) as long as I had a pocket watch or something.

On a sidenote... I LOVE pocket watches!

Open-minded, not empty-headed

Charles Bell: Anatomy of the Brain, c. 1802

"Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out!"

I can't remember where I heard this, but I really like it. I hate it when people are closed-minded, but I also think it's silly to just accept everything without any consideration or common sense. I think this quote captures that spirit.



"Never trust a man who says 'trust me'."

My mother told me this years ago. She said it was something that her father told her when she was young. I like it.

Puppy Love Can Be a Great Motivator...

Well, I don't think I could really call myself an "early adopter". I started using the Internet in the mid 90s, but I didn't really start using it REGULARLY 'til about 2001 or so.

I got my first boyfriend that year and he was always on IRC. THAT'S when I started using the Internet every day. Before that it was an hour here or there, once or twice a week. I'd check my e-mail and do research for projects, but it wasn't regular and consistent. But, being able to talk to my boyfriend every night? That's what got me on the Internet.

It seems a bit silly now, I guess. But hey!