Amber & Good Ridiculous vs. Bad Ridiculous

What incredibly ridiculous reason could make me go out in the middle of a blizzard to see my doctor, 150 blocks away?

 

Face shingles.

If it crosses that line, I need to have my doctor paged.  Eye danger!

Ridiculous.  But here's some ridiculous in a good way for balance.

Eyeballs of both kinds of ridiculous, herewith.

Amber & There's No Mystery Left

2010 was rather mysterious.  There were a number of mysteries that really absorbed (hogged) alot of my cognitive powers.  For example, it was about seven months from start to finish wondering why my side hurt so much before a new mystery (What on earth did my doctor just say is wrong with me?  Epiglottal appendicidits?) demanded to be answered.

We also solved some year-spanning mysteries, like what exactly we stared at for all those years at the River House?  And we celebrated yearly mysteries on June 8 with Kitty Eyebrow Day.

But our friend 2011 has (finally) brought us a new year's answer for one mystery that plagued me all winter long.  Namely: what on earth is this guy?

This was a deep, dark mystery, compounded by the fact that the image name was "Oink.jpg."  Clearly, that guy is not a pig.  Unlike when we learned all about the dik-dik, I had no general family of animals from which to start my research, never having taken a zoo class in "fuzzy tree creatures."  I had almost given up--although the image was still sitting there on my desktop, taunting me at start up every day.

But, lo!  When I went to do my Monday round-up of all things adorable, there was my mystery buddy along with some of his equally mysterious cousins!

I think that's the same guy, right?  Anyhow, it seems I am behind the cute animal times (makes sense since they are part of pop culture these days).  Cuteoverload solved my mystery in 2009.  Those guys are Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrels.  That means they can do this!

Surprise!  Cute and flying.

Amber & I Heart Him

Some days, I spend the whole day just waiting to get home, scoop Woody up in my arms, bury my face in his neck and sniff.

(Photo by James)

He smells of afternoon naps, oatmeal and enchantment.  At least that was the scent I got from him this morning.  He always smells like love.

Amber & Pusses Galore

There may not be any real kitties here, but there are alot of symbolic kitties in Boston.  For example, the record shop might have a display of all cat-themed albums.

 

Or, if you go for ramen, the hot pepper spicy stuff might be inside a kitty.

 

Or, maybe on the wall there might be a chart of different CAT EMOTIONS behind you.

(Temple Grandin sure never addressed MY GOD EMOTION in her book.  But I have sure seen that on Tiggy's face when her brothers get too close.)

Boston is nice, but I still would rather have real cats.  My own real cats.  Maybe next time they can come with me.

Amber & Pica Pooja

Today is the very special celebration of Pica Pooja, on which we contemplate and take lessons from the myriad qualities contained in the small kitty of Pickles.  "Pica" is the avatar of Pickles we recognize when he is sleeping in a small and curly ball.  But we know, even then, that he has a mighty mew inside him, ready to call for more play and joy in the world, being, as he is, the champion of fun and fleece wand.

Pica Pooja actually begins with the brother, Ginger, waking us by ritually grooming our hair with his tongue.  No one is a bigger devotee of Pickles than Ginger.

Later, there will be playful brother wrestling with feats of strength like Head Banging on Floor Loudly and Kicka Kicka Kicka, but the morning starts out slow with a plate of wet food, sprinkled with Pickles Powder.  As we sprinkle the Pickles Powder on the food, we are reminded that all kitties have special needs but some kitties have more special needs than others, and we say "Bam!" to remember the shock we had when we got the vet bills from Pickles's most special hospital pilgrimage.

And tonight, the celebration will really kick into high gear with many, many enrichments.  We may do Treats in Open Envelopes, or Treats Hidden Under Dixie Cups, or Treats Stolen While Taking them Out of the Bag Because Somebody with Curly Fur Is Too Impatient.

Pickles fur reminds us, again, to experience joy.  The hair could grow in straight lines, but it chooses instead to take a more circuitous route, to stop and form curls around the roses.

And Pickles reminds us that the highest form of love of the self and life is loving others, including those who are baby and needy.  We could, for example, spend more time painting our toe nails or ironing shirts, but isn't it ultimately more rewarding--and enjoyable for ourselves--to instead run back and forth through the house with the fleece wand, hiding behind doorframes and ducking beside the bed.  Doesn't that bring rewards that are many, many times beyond?

Amber & The Storm Before The Calm

1.  Go to Schaubhut to pick up more meds for Pickles.  Check.

2.  Go to Whiskers to get calm drops for travel and gut-pills for barfy Woody.  Check.

3.  Get, but do not eat, a chocolate croissant for Nick's Birthday Breakfast treat.  Check on the getting...

...and we'll see about the eating.

4.  Work.  (In Progress)

5.  Pack up work laptop, stuff at office, including books to read and bike helmet.

6.  Whole Foods for last minute purchases: sunblock, citronella spray, face scrub and shampoo.

7.  Stop by Spoiled Brats to place order to pick up tomorrow on way out of town.  (Rather than lug two cases of food, 35 lbs of litter, and other supplies up the stairs and then back down tomorrow.)

8.  Buy $5 gypsy skirt on the street.

9.  Laundry.

10.  Pack and clean apartment.

11.  Go to River House.

 Breathe.

Amber & Things I Meant to Blog

About a week ago, Diana and I went to my favorite Restorative Yoga followed by beverages and thrice-fried french fries at the Restorative Breslin.  Proper Diet is one of the five central points of the yogi lifestyle.  And, french fries served with cumin mayo are certainly about the most proper potatoes you could ever meet.

While we were there, Diana became inspired by the beautifully renovated space and its animal-theme.  She created art of her own.

I had her take photos of her art just for the very purpose of blogging them.  But then, I don't know what happened but certainly something did.  And I didn't blog.  I am doing it now, but I can't quite recapture the original spirit.  But maybe there is a new spirit?  Like, a backward-looking nostalgic spirit for the days before Diana went to the River House?

My original post concept had me somehow tying in this song.



I don't remember how I was going to do it.  I'm sure it was smoother than this.  But maybe that's how looking back is?  Bumpy?

Amber &

Happy Kitty Eyebrows Day, Everyone!

In the words of the founder of this holiday, James...

"This is very special day of kitty mystery when every year since 2006 we celebrate kitty eyebrows."

That makes this the 4th annual kitty eyebrows day. (Take that, people who say kitties don't have eyebrows.)


And, go ahead and Google Image the phrase "kitty eyebrows."


Look who comes up on the first page.

Amber & Woodra Pooja

Today is the second of the annual kitty poojas!  Happy Woodra Pooja every one!

(photo by James)

Like, Gigi, Woody has a dual nature that we celebrate on this special day.  Woodrow Wilson Gutherie Feline is both an incredible snuggle monster, always close by and looking for under-leg tummy rubs...

But also the world's crankiest old man cat, barely tolerant of the affections of his little brothers.

Thus, Woody teaches us that we are all compassionate, but that being nice doesn't mean letting others walk all over us (or chew our necks).  Woody reminds us that, through it all--even if we start out a small snake-eyed frizzy beast...

...even through Elizabethan Collars and knee surgery...

(photo by James)

...our foremost duty is to honor and respect the miracle of life and to enjoy every day that we can spend with our fellow living creatures-- especially if they provide us with environments.

 To celebrate Woodra Pooja, there be lots of ritualistic face rubbing, with the customary shedding of great amounts of facial fur.  Thus, we coat ourselves with the essence of Woody: softness.

(photo by James)

Once the rubbing has completed, there will be some eating of wet food mixed with water, plenty of sink hands (with Woody perched on the edge of the tub--not on the sink) and then we will repeat the cheek rubbing and coating of our pants in fur, pretty much every time we sit down.

There will be the traditional offering of a cup of water out of which I have taken sips for paw bathing and drinking.

(photo by James)

And there will be appreciation of how beautiful and special all living things are.  And we may even get weepy thinking about how lucky we are to have such magical and unique interspecies friends who mean so much to us every day and give us unconditional* love.

And then there will probably be more lap time.

Happy Woodra Pooja!

*Unconditional as long as there is wet food, clean litter and belly rubbing.

Amber & Magnificent Animals

After a happy, rich seventeen years of life, complete with cross-country adventures including rubbing his fur in the dirt on a Navajo reservation and sharing six different apartments in three different states with his people, we are all sad to learn George has left us.  He was a noble beast, a proud, big boy with a yen for loving, and a good and honorable friend to Amy and David Bee.

He will be missed.  George, I am honored to have known and loved you.

Amber & Nice Beasts

I know this guy could eat her face and, as Isaac suggested, hock her camera for $50.  But he doesn't.  And that just makes me weepy at the wonder and kindness of animals.



I am kind of mushy about animals.

Amber & Gigi Pooja

Today is my favorite festival of all of the festivals that I have ever invented. (I love Kitty Eyebrows Day just as much, but Jimmi invented that one.)  What makes this Sunday different from any other day before Monday?  It's Gigi Pooja, of course!

 (Ginger, seen here in a reprentation known as "Reclining Gigi")

Gigi Pooja is a very special day on which we celebrate and express our gratitude for Ginger.  It's a day full of rituals, including brushing his fur and making him a special bed in a box with a pillow, like a throne.  The throne both provides comfort for Ginger, but also reminds us of his dual nature: He is both soft and snuggly, and embodies devotion when he milk treads your neck and grooms your hair in the night, but he is also a fearsome warrior who devours all paper products with his sharp teeth and destroys wicker chests with his fearsome claws.

On Gigi Pooja, after I henna my hair, we make a pilgrammage to our favorite pet store to buy devotional offerings like litter and wet food.  And we perform the act of Chin Rubs, which allows us to contemplate the infinite softness of Ginger.

We do this while he rests upon his lingam.

Earlier in the day, the other cats observed abhisheka, not with marigolds and ghee, but with fur on the lingam, which we will ritualistically remove with the magic sponge the day after Gigi Pooja.  Also, the day is full of naps.

On Gigi Pooja, we also thank Diana who told us all about her trip to India yesterday, including her observance of Shiva Puja.  Not that that has anything to do with Gigi Pooja.

Don't worry, people who think the new cats are apocryphal, the other cats will get their own poojas.  Not only do we always invoke Tiggy first on the blog with the sidebar, but Tiggy Pooja is an even more exciting day (tbd).  But let's live in the moment and take the rest of the evening to meditate on Ginger.

Happy Gigi Pooja, readers!

Amber & Kissable Cousins

The Mystery Guest Cat in today's Kevin Drum e-newsletter is a flame-pointed Siamese, just like Woody.

I think Woody is more handsome.

(photo by whomelse?  James)

Although Rustle does live in a home with nicer carpeting.

Amber & Kapps

Some mornings before work, you just have to play a little Amish Bonnet with Pickles.

I mean, look how much he loves it.

Amber & Goodnight, Kitty

Thanks to mom and dad (and Candice for the idea) for the sweet dreams.

Those are Hello Kitty heads, people.  Close up:

Amber & Sealizer

Remember the Squirrelizer?  (And my much cheaper version?)

Well, marine mammals make memes, too.

Hee hee.  I love a happy sea lion.

P.S. Nick found this on Reddit while he was "working."  It's the number one thing over there right now.