#mysweetetc

Oho! How does she get into trouble?

She’s just very inquisitive, and she gets bored easily. Dearborn’s content to sit in the window and watch the world go by or chill in my lap for endless pets, but Polk has to be all up in everything, and her investigation is often inadvertently destructive -- like rummaging in the box full of bbq supplies I keep for grilling or pulling plastic bags out of the bag caddy. Her latest trick is to jump on top of the HVAC unit in the utility closet in the bathroom and bat at the lightbulb cord, which wouldn’t be an issue but in order to get to the lightbulb cord she stands on (and then claws at) the insulation around the HVAC pipes. I’ve had to wrap the insulation in cardboard to keep her from destroying it. 

And then there’s her most pervasive habit I haven’t yet been able to break, which is “digging” the mat where their food sits in order to flip their kibble dish. I don’t know why she does this, because she clearly makes the “flipped kibble dish = no kibble to eat” connection since they won’t eat kibble off the floor (like PLEBES oh my GOD).

Generally speaking, these are behaviors she only gets into when it’s been too long since we’ve had structured playtime, so it’s a reminder I need to be playing with her more. But it’s also a question of not immediately playing with her when she does these things because then it’s a reward. So it’s a lot of “Get outta that! Stop it!” and then keeping her from doing it for half an hour before we can have playtime. 

tienriu replied to your post “rsfcommonplace replied to your post “Me: so should I stick with the...”

When my sisters were hitting this question (also having stayed for years and years in their old companies) one question that seemed to help was if the move would let you go up in your career. Does having this job mean that you can better find another job in the future or is it dead-ending you into one role etc.

Yeah, and it’s something I’m ambivalent about. On the one hand, the new title has the word “Manager” in the name, and I’ll be picking up a lot of new skills -- doing prospect management as well as research, and some frontline fundraising. On the other hand, I’m not sure how helpful it will be to have “manager” in the name and yet not actually be managing anyone. To move up within my field, the next logical step for me would be managing another individual. That said, running a department even if nobody else is in it is still a seniority move from where I am now, and the org I’m at now hasn’t been interested in promoting me (and the potential promotion in the future wouldn’t be into management either) so....

geekgirlfibers replied to your post “rsfcommonplace replied to your post “Me: so should I stick with the...”

You may have already received this advice but when you make your pro-con list be sure to weight it.

I'm so jealous your cats don't chew on the wire for this lights!

I was lucky to get ‘em young and that they responded to my no-chewing-on-wires training, which was really just wrapping all wires of chewable gauge in double-sided tape for a while :D 

That said, the reason I have that huge string of lights on the bed now is that I had a smaller string of cheap Target lights that had little plastic pineapples on the bulbs, and Dearborn systematically pulled every plastic pineapple off the string and absconded with them. She was obsessed. I still find tiny plastic pineapples secreted away under furniture sometimes. 

shawkela replied to your post “Because Disney is so uptight about the brand reputation, and so...”

I would eat an entire plate of liver and onions for Downey/Evans "Moses Supposes". You know I am old enough to know the movie of which you speak. And now I will watch it with new eyes. NEW. EYES. SAMUEL.

See, that’s the thing, while I too would kill for Downey and Evans doing Moses Supposes (Chris Evans likes to dance and RDJ would look amazing in those high-waisted costumes), I don’t even need it to be those actors in the roles -- I just want it to be those actor types. Like the RDJ-type actor (talented yet goofy dad) and the Chris Evans-type actor (good-natured but anxiety-riddled bro) et cetera.   

daroos replied to your post “Because Disney is so uptight about the brand reputation, and so...”

U need to write it and I need to read it.

It’s a tough fusion to make happen! 

I’ll add it to my “thinly veiled RPF” queue along with the one where a group of hollywood actors are also secretly cryptids.

theboyfallsfromthesky replied to your post “Because Disney is so uptight about the brand reputation, and so...”

Not with their adult casts, but there's a trail of this with stars manufactured by Disney TV.

Lucky you! They've never chewed through any wires? Mine killed the sensor on my Wii Fit that way. (That video is ADORABLE.)

They went through a very brief wire-chewing phase as kittens when teething, but it didn’t last. The worst they did was chew up the TV antenna cord a bit, but once I put double-sided tape on it that stopped. They like to chew on string, but it has to be thick string, like the cord you get on cat-dancer toys. Although Dearborn will eat my cross-stitch thread, if given the chance.  I have to be very careful how I store my needles. 

Mostly they prefer to chase, not chew -- they’d rather kick a little ball around or jump at the cat dancer. 

njelruch replied to your post “Consulting dermatology for a patient:”

Mine was more unsettling than anything. Nothing like having someone take a surgical-grade hole punch to you when you can only feel pressure through the local.

It looks like they're more cuddly now than when you first got them?

Sort of, but I think it’s just a different kind of cuddly. When I adopted them, they were happy to curl up with me individually OR with each other, but not both -- one or the other would cuddle me, or they’d cuddle each other if I was at a distance, like when they’d sleep on the bed but only if it was IN THEIR BED on my bed. 

I think the change in the last month or so is that now they’re more okay with us being a sort of pack, or perhaps pride is the better word. Both of them will get in my lap, or they’ll pile on top of one another in the bed with me. They still want individual attention at times, but they’re more okay curling up with each other in my immediate presence, they don’t need a separate space to be together now. 

I think co-sleeping is a lot of it. As awkward as it can be for me, it really tightens the bonds between us that we all three sleep in the same place, and of course it’s very reassuring to me that they obviously WANT to be wherever I am -- they could sleep anywhere in the condo, but they choose to sleep on/in the bed to be close to me. I like that so I try to encourage it, which I think in turn makes them feel like they can cuddle up together in my presence and know they’ll be safe. 

Polk's tail is so long!

You know, it never occurs to me that it is, I always look at her in real life (outside of photos) and go “Oh it must be some kind of trick of the camera” but then I google imagesearch cats’ tails and hers really is quite long. I think Dearborn’s is too, which is why I have no sense of scale.

Also have you guys seen the Guinness World Record holder for the world’s longest tail. His name is Cygnus and he is the third cutest cat in the world after both of mine. 

junker5 replied to your post “so when you got home, were you greeted with chirps of joy or bitched...”

Isn't it fun to have furry babies to welcome you home?? Wonder what they will think about Christmas decorations and your tree? Glad you are home safe and sound. Be careful in all that winter wonderland mess!

My kitties are brothers, got them together when they were three months old. They never ever fought until they saw a cat outside but couldn't fight it and so turned on each other, and unfortunately I didn't know to separate them in time and now it's PERMANENT. :( They fight more than cuddle now, it's very sad. Beware of redirected feline aggression, it is real and serious!

Aw no, that sucks! Though...not to bring some comedy into your situation, but I had to google redirected feline aggression because I’d never encountered it, and I got the best quote from the article I read: 

Redirected aggression is most common in households with five or fewer cats. It rarely occurs in homes that are very saturated in cats.

SATURATED IN CATS is such a great expression!

bears-official replied to your photo “The sisters of terror are enjoying stadium seating as they watch...”

looks like an POUNCE waiteng to happen!

Self, do not buy Sam an echo. Dont do it. Sam can pick his own smarthome stuff. ( i have a bunch and its soooo nice. I tell echo im home and it turns on certsin lights, turns off others, etc.

LOL! Oddly enough I don’t really want an Echo or any of the other smartpucks. I have a certain antipathy to the way they (and programs like Siri) operate; they do a good job hooking into smart items in your home and letting you operate them by voice, but a lot of their intended function is to do your research for you, and they’re not good at it, which gives me chills because in some cases it’s training people to accept the first answer they’re given and look no further (though I trust my readership to be more curious and broad-ranging than that!). 

Most of the time it’s not really egregious, people are asking for song lyrics or bus times or whatnot. But as someone who researches for a living it pings something tender deep in my soul :D I already have a sincere mistrust of search engines; I won’t even use some of the platforms we have to search our work database because I don’t trust that they’re returning true results. So for me, my parents have whatever the Google smartpuck is, and it’s fun to ask it to tell jokes or turn on the lights -- and they use it to adjust the temperature since the thermostat is now behind a piece of furniture. But for me, it’s too much to pay for something I would actively avoid using for most of its intended functions :D 

mysweetetc replied to your post “I’m working from home today”

I'm sure you know this, but moving is ALWAYS a traumatic life event, even when it's for a good/happy reason. Hope the sadness passes soon!

It’s true, I had forgotten that it’s one of the items on those “measure your level of life stress/depression” checklists! I should do one of those, it would probably offer some perspective. 

shinyblackbird replied to your post “mooseman13579 replied to your photo”

Speaking as a smol angry mom friend, it’s totally understandable that you missed it, she’s been furiously trying to project super tall supermodel since, like, the late 90s, and you’re just big-hearted enough to see her as she wants to be seen :D

LOL! It’s true. I see the real stool, the stool inside! 

shirokou replied to your post “jonlybonlyfromboldlygo replied to your post”

I STILL TRY TO USE THE CABLE BOX FOR TIME BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE A CLOCK ANYMORE.

You have the packing anxiety dream? I thought I was the only one!

Oh yeah! Not often, but once in a while. It adds a certain spice to any situation where I’m moving large amounts of stuff...

spaci1701 replied to your post “Just found out I’ll be visiting Chicago for work, and my first thought...”

SAMUEL COPPER BADGE! You put that down THIS INSTANT, young man, and go wash your hands. Honestly! You know better than to handle old infrastructure without gloves.

I shan’t! I love it and I won’t put it down ever. 

mysweetetc replied to your post “Hi Sam. Since you're talking a lot about moving lately, have you ever...”

I'm so lucky that I've rented for nearly seven years now and never needed a plunger. KNOCKING ON ALL THE WOOD

Oh man you are LIVING DANGEROUSLY :D 

calmiera

I agree with toilet paper, bottled water (maybe plunger?) and adding to shopping list as needed. (no point in buying stuff to later realize you don't actually need it - we found out that we were used to a lot of stuff that made our lives easier, but wasn't really necessity.) Also... a lot of people mentioning fire extinguisher... Is that something you need a lot, where you live? Because I don't think I know a single person with FE at home.

A fire extinguisher is something you don’t need until you really need it, but at that point if you don’t have it you will definitely wish you did. 

That said, I believe it’s federal law in the US that if you’re renting an apartment, your landlord has to provide smoke detectors in the unit and fire extinguishers on every floor, so it’s not something I’ve ever owned personally -- I’ve always known where the extinguisher on my floor is (usually it’s in a case somewhere in the hallway) but never owned one my own self. 

Might not be a bad thing for me to pick up actually -- the building has a sprinkler fire-suppression system, but I’d rather not activate that and water-damage everything everyone owns.