Pets, Photography

Cats! In! Sinks!

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Foolish human! A raised finger cannot stem the tide of eeevil.

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Plotting

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Sweet, Sweet Lovin’ Soothes the Eeevil Beast

It must be time for Saturday cat-blogging.

I’ve never understood the attraction cats have for sinks, but over the years, several of the cats I’ve lived with have been sink sleepers. Rory, too. His favorite place to hang out–aside from his kitty condo–is the bathroom sink. It means that I often have to brush my teeth and wash my face and hands in the tub, but I’ve gotten used to it.

I couldn’t get a photo of him curled up, asleep, in the sink, which is unfortunate, because he seems so snug and comfortable. But, I did get a few of him being sweet and/or eeevil.

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Rory’s tail isn’t in a weird position. He’s a bobtail, so that’s all there is of it. It isn’t usually as poofed out as it is in the first picture. He’d been rolling around in the sink, which gave him a little bit of static cling. I’m blaming the new cat food, which is seriously drying out his skin and coat. Petting him is a bit like petting a sparkler. Also note the Eeevil Glowy Eyes of DQQM in the middle picture. He is All Bad, All the Time, Bay-BEE!1!! Except when he’s groovin’ on the sweet, sweet lovin’, and even then, Teh Eeevil is lurking, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Mostly, though, he’s just a damnfine cat and a total riot to live with.

In other news, I stopped by the Backstreet Mission[1] on my way home from work the other day. I picked up quite a few books to use for arting, including some ’70s vintage world and US history text books for high school and middle school, a 1939 algebra text book, a high school world cultures text book (again, from the 1970s), the Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book (1943 ed., which is chock-a-block with great illustrations and photos), the Better Homes and Gardens Family Medical Guide (1964 ed., again, with the groovy illustrations and photos), and a 1931 US history text. Most of these will be used for my new altered book project, which I intend to get started on this weekend.

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[1] I’m a big fan of shopping at thrift stores. Not only can you find lots of cool junk at cheap prices (something that anyone who makes art with recycled junk should appreciate), but the money generally goes to the folks who need it the most. The Backstreet Mission does a lot of really good things for folks in the community, and I like being able to support them whenever I can.

Crankypantsing

Resistance Is Futile

I find the underlying assumption that the default state is Christian troubling. I feel the same way when I’m wished a cheerful, peppy “Merry Christmas” by the cashier at the grocery store. It’s not a huge deal. I don’t expect that there’s anything to be done to solve the problem, or even if there is a problem. I just know that it makes me squirmy.

Apparently, it’s Not Allowed to say so out loud, though. If you do, you may be told that your discomfort indicates that you’re bitter, insensitive, uncivilized, unhappy, and intolerant, or that it means you want to kill the baby Jesus. You may even be told that most Americans are Christian, so if you don’t want to celebrate Christmas, you don’t belong here, so you should move to another country. No matter that you are an American citizen and you have every right to stay right where you are, and to voice your discomfort in ALL CAPS. Because, my understanding is that it’s not okay to dictate how other people feel, and that’s what the entire exchange came down to. I felt uncomfortable about something, and was told that I have no right to feel that way. Talk about a ridiculous response!

Another thing I find troubling is the insistence, by some folks, that non-Christians should just go ahead and celebrate Christmas because it’s the season and everybody else is doing it. Why the pressure to take part in what then amounts to a secular holiday?

And all because I had the nerve to say that I felt uncomfortable when people assume that everyone else is automagically Christian. The mind wobbles.