No heaven will not ever heaven be; unless my cats are there to welcome me.

How Sweet It Would Be

2011-04-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Baby Finds Some Sun

2011-04-19T16:46:00.001-07:00

Baby

2011-04-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Baby has worked out an appropriate work-life balance.

Leia and Darth Vader!

2011-04-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

The one thing about my sister is that she can never just do something once. if she makes a knit Star Wars figure you can bet that she'll become obsessed and make them ALL.

I am the delighted benefactor of her new obsession! Darth Vader and Princess Leia arrived in the mail today. Baby likes them just as much as she liked Yoda.

Tigre can't be bothered. Her new obsession is sleeping on top of the couch.

She's Usually So Cute...

2011-04-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

Bat Cat

2011-04-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

Drawer Cat

2011-04-09T23:37:00.001-07:00

Her favourite place to sleep is in this drawer if I leave it open. I hate it when this happens.

Look At This Cat

2011-04-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

Look At Her

The Force Be With Me

2011-03-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

My sister is awesome. I was having a lousy week so she knitted me this miniature Yoda to boost my spirits. I'm not sure why but every time I look at him it makes me smile.

Baby likes him too!

My sister is super talented. She runs a business selling amazing hats and other knit stuff. You can find her HERE.

Small Secretary

2011-03-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

This cat continues to keep me on track with my work - the slow track.

She's also still an idiot. Here she is sitting in the recycling box, where she then complained that she couldn't get comfortable

Hello, We Are Back

2011-02-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

The Scene This Morning

2010-05-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Grass Box

2010-05-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea on another blog for a balcony grass-box for pets. I thought Baby or Tigre might like some real grass to sniff at or eat during the summer.

My dad built the basic box for me. I covered the bottom with gravel and then a layer of potting soil. Then I just got a piece of sod and trimmed it to size.

Tigre ignored it entirely, but Baby went crazy for it. She used to love to sleep in the grass when she lived in Victoria. After a few tentative sniffs, she lifted herself into the grass and then settled down in the sun.

Completely happy:

Hypocrisy

2010-05-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Stephen Harper's logic on abortion for women in Africa goes like this: not all Canadians support abortion, so no women overseas will receive Canada's support for abortion. Never mind the hypocrisy of providing funding for abortions for Canadian women but not our foreign aid recipients. You thought the Bush era was over, but parts of it just migrated north.

Desperately Waiting For Summer (in a safe spot)

2010-05-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Dream Girl

2010-05-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

I Can't Take It

2009-09-02T07:58:00.001-07:00

Four elections in five years is too much. I'm about to tune out completely. And I'm a political junkie. I can imagine how the average person feels. It will get to the point where I'm busy on election day and wind up saying "I'll just vote next year."

Terry Fox Run

2009-08-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone (is anyone still reading?). Just a quick update to make an appeal for pledges to my Terry Fox Run. Here's a bit more about Terry Fox and his foundation:

Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22.

The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

To date, more than $400 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.

You can contribute HERE

Dog Break

2009-08-21T07:50:00.001-07:00

This is Sophie's new brother, Graham. He is a former greyhound champion and all around gentleman. From the looks of things he is adapting well to his new home.

Cats Days of Summer

2009-08-20T17:20:00.001-07:00

The cats are heartily enjoying their summer vacation. Since we got back from our honeymoon,they have pretty much repeated the below activities every single day:

Writhing around strangely in catnip:

Staking claims to sunny spots on the balcony:

Being awesome:

Looking innocent:

And sleeping here, on the top of my file boxes. Tigre is still genetically disposed to finding the highest spot in the house and devoting herself to it. I made a bed up there so she could feel like she owns the place:

The Big Day

2009-05-09T06:35:00.001-07:00

All apologies for the long radio silence from You Can Make It If You Try! It has been a busy couple of months of school and other things. And now we'll likely be away for at least a few more weeks.

Baby and Tigre are about to become legitimate sisters - we are getting married in about six hours. Sadly, the cats are already boarded with Marika's mother, probably loving every minute of it. Tigre already bit Marika's sister and took a nap inside the sheets of the spare bedroom. She was so excited her tail was vibrating like it was being shocked with electricity. What a cat. Baby is behaving herself as usual.

There will be a few more weeks of silence as we take a holiday. Usual cat broadcasting will continue soon after!

Baby Is Dramatic

2009-03-23T10:14:00.001-07:00

Tigre's New Bedroom

2009-03-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

As a way of saving space, we have started to keep Tigre in the closet.

Ok, I'm only kidding. She has been begging to get into the closet for the last two years. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and created a little compartment for her on the second shelf. She sat and waited for me to rearrange the entire closet and then happily made herself at home. Like all of her projects, Tigre has completely devoted herself to spending time on her little shelf. She retreats there to think, clean, and sleep. It's sort of nice having her tucked out of the way!

Practical and Fashionable

2009-03-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

I gave Marika a scarf for Christmas which she had to trim by about six inches. Guess who the little piece fits perfectly!

A Gremlin In Repose

2009-03-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

A photographic study of Baby trying to get a little bit of sun on every part of her body.

Here Comes The Sun

2009-03-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Baby is crazy about getting into the sunshine, so she is generally pretty depressed all winter without a constant supply.

Today was the first time the sun broke through in the morning, but it only hit the top half of the couch. Baby conquered her fear of doing anything new and wasted no time scrambling up to get a piece of it.

She was able to balance like this for half an hour before the sun finally went away. Clever little thing!

Grass

2009-02-27T10:03:00.001-08:00

We have been unable to find wheatgrass for the cats all winter. Today I finally found it and the cats were overjoyed.

Actually, as always, Tigre only participated because Baby was interested. You can see that Tigre is more interested in being a pain.

After Tigre lost interest and wandered off, Baby really got down to it.

She Stares

2009-02-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

Baby has developed a terrible habit of staring at me all day long. She sits directly behind my chair and looks up at me. I don't know why, I don't know what she wants. The multiple photos are intended to give you an idea of the torment I endure.

I didn't take all these photos at once. This is what she does to me for hours on end. I think she's trying to say "finish your stupid dissertation!"

Evening Calm

2009-02-27T09:56:00.001-08:00

They can never maintain this level of civility for more than a few minutes

Platterforms

2009-02-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

Tigre continues her weight loss struggle. Last month we put the big cat tube in the front window so she could spend some time climbing up and down. Here is her inaugural leap. She used to do this so gracefully, but now you can see she has a long way to go.

Victorious!

We got Baby into the platform action too by finding her a seat of her own. She was so grateful because it allowed her to sit and stare us to death while we eat dinner.

Baby really prefers lazing around on the couch. Give this cat an inch...

Dog Break Part II

2009-01-26T07:01:00.001-08:00

This is Clio, my friend Meg's new dog. If I posted Clio on the blog she agreed to trade me a run of labour journals she stole from an unsuspecting retiring professor.

This dog is too cute to occur in naturally in the wild. It must be the product of science. Mittens the cat (disgusted looking in the background of the photo) agrees with me.

Welcome to the big time, Clio!

Dog Break

2009-01-04T15:46:00.001-08:00

My sister's new dog Zoe! Reminds me of Cha Cha.

Best Friends

2009-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

All Marika ever wanted was for the cats to cuddle each other. It is finally happening. Tigre mostly imposes herself on Baby after she is already settled, but Baby may actualy enjoy the contact too. It is a nice development because it means that Baby shoulders some of the burden of Tigre's emotional needs.

Flashback

2009-01-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

The day Tigre arrived.

A Cat Christmas

2008-12-25T13:10:00.001-08:00

Baby was amazed this morning by the miracle of Christmas when she discovered her stocking on the couch.

She was waiting patiently for us to open it for her, but then Tigre arrived for her share of Christmas.

Tigre doesn't wait, she attacks and savages.

Woe is Our Tree

2008-12-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

The only member of our household who has any Christmas spirit is Tigre.

But this is largely because she dreams of destroying the Christmas tree. It occupies 90% of her waking hours (she needs to break to eat.)

Here she is working out the physics of tipping it from up high (note her tats.)

When that fails she works on the bottom half.

When she can't figure that out, she takes out her fury on one particular ornament - a small scarecrow from a Wizard of Oz set given to me by my grandma. Tigre hates this ornament above all others. We have had to rescue him several times.

Update

2008-12-08T18:24:00.001-08:00

Trenchant Analysis of Political Crisis

2008-12-03T18:15:00.001-08:00

Before we all lose our heads in the current political crisis, my friend Meg reminded me of one important fact about Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He once held this cute kitten:

Surely this man should be given the chance to govern as he sees fit.

In the event that Harper was holding this kitten just prior to eating it, I retract the above comments and suggest that the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of our household. Hand the reigns to Stéphane Dion, and fast!

Vive La Coalition!

2008-12-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

I hope Stephen Harper sees this image in his sleep. He's about to be snookered by a socialist*

* and Jean Chrétien!

Update:

Poor Tigre

2008-11-26T21:13:00.001-08:00

We are still struggling with Tigre's weight. She never loses any no matter how much she diets. I spoke to the vet today who tentatively suggested that Tigre has some emotional problems. We are going to explore therapy options next week.

Tigre really is an emotional cat. Last night we forgot to give her the last meal of the day. Mind you, Tigre gets fed FIVE times a day so she doesn't feel anxious or worried. Having missed twenty percent of her daily intake, she lashed out at the kleenex box overnight

She made sure to sit in the carnage this morning so we wouldn't mistake the culprit. As if Baby is capable of such destruction Look at her!

Also, here is Tigre modeling one of the hats my sister made me. They look better on humans, but Tigre seemed pleased. Emotional, but cute.

Gremlin and Depression

2008-11-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

A long period between updates, but everything is much the same as before. Baby begs for treats and we give them to her just to see her make these faces.

Meanwhile, Tigre has been depressed. We try to cheer her up with snacks and such, but on this particular day the grey weather sealed her mood and there was no saving her.

2008-11-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

The Endorsement

2008-10-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

The cats are generally non committal when it comes to American Presidential Politics. I think the Basset Hounds For Obama make a pretty strong statement though, so we'll just let them say everything.

This Says It All

2008-10-16T21:03:00.001-07:00

"PAYBACK TIME SUCKA!"

Pick One

2008-10-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

It's That Time Of The Year Again...

2008-10-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Baby reluctantly participates in this yearly ritual because she knows how much happiness it spreads.

Babies < Cats

2008-10-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is my new nephew Duncan:

An intelligent little fellow, he mostly assesses his surroundings and kicks his legs. He still doesn't weigh what Tigre does, but I'm sure soon enough the two will be equals. Tigre is indifferent to babies, and if you asked her would mistakenly think you were talking about her sister. For those who enjoy human babies, another shot below. His mom told me he prefers little sweat suits to all other clothing. It creates the effect that any minute he's about to get up and walk across the room to shake your hand, until he falls asleep.

All Paws

2008-10-01T08:31:00.001-07:00

Baby has taken up her residency on the couch behind our desks for the winter. Sometimes we look back and can't believe what a dead sleep she has fallen into. She never used to sleep this soundly because she was too nervous all the time.

Baby Light and Dark

2008-09-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

Thank You!

2008-09-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

All of us at You Can Make It If You Try extend a big thank you to everyone who supported us at the Terry Fox run yesterday. We raised just under two thousand dollars for cancer research. Here are some shots of the scene just before the run kicked off.

Why I Blog

2008-09-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, after nearly three years of blogging my cat, I think there is nothing left to say. She has done every cute or remarkable thing she is going to do. I think about retiring the blog and letting Tigre live a less scrutinized life. And then I walk into the bedroom and find this and realize why I must go on.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

2008-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

What did these poor people do to deserve this?

Territorial Matters

2008-08-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

We took the couch cover off to wash it and Tigre wasted no time getting up on the couch to spread her territorial scent everywhere. Baby previously ruled the couch, but Tigre has a lot of body to spread around and I think she succeeded in rebranding the couch as a Tigre-only property.

Baby didn't care. She was relaxing outdoors!

High and Low

2008-08-22T14:53:00.001-07:00

August is a slow news month even for cats. Here they are on the balcony trying escape a heatwave. As usual, Baby ends up on the bottom bunk.

Knowing that Tigre loves being up top of everything, I did a little renovation on the highest surface in our apartment and then created a clear path for Tigre to make her way up there. It didn't take her more than a few hours to realize her destiny.

Terry Fox Run

2008-08-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

While any of you have been welcome to send Tigre and Baby gifts up until now, I'm going to ask you to suspend your shower of affection for our cats and turn your attention to the humans.

Marika and I are running the Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research next month. I say run, she says we walk. I'll see her at the finish line! But we are collecting online pledges together at this link:

http://www.terryfoxrun.org/local/asp/r/e/53063

This is a photo of the Terry Fox statue we took as we drove across the country two years ago. If you're driving through Thunder Bay it's worth a stop!

Instead of Cats, Trains.

2008-08-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Needing some diversion, we headed to Nanton to see Canada's largest outdoor garden railway. Believe me, it's as good as it looks!

The Juicer

2008-07-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

In an effort to become healthier than Superman, we bought a juicer this week. It sounds hippie, but it's actually very bad ass.

Juicer or weapon of mass destruction?

This is the ammunition. More vegetables than any sane human could consume in one sitting.

In it goes. This is the best part of the whole process.

Juice and sludgey waste being produced:

Here is the end product. It tastes terrible.

Here is baby just leaning against the leg of the coffee table, totally indifferent to juice.

Recuperation

2008-07-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Baby and I are spending a lot of time on the balcony today. She'd eat and sleep out there if she could. Tigre never appears in these photos because she's always just inside the door watching from safety. Not an outdoor cat.

Baby Battles Depression

2008-07-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

The cats have responded in their own ways to their recent depression. Tigre was shaken out of it by an adventure she had. Sometimes she slips out the front door as we leave without letting out any noise and we don't notice. As I went to the Polish Bakery yesterday she must have slipped out. I was gone half an hour and home just as long when I noticed she was not in the apartment. After a quick search I found her two floors down, cowering in the lobby. She was terrified and electrified at the same time.

Baby is having a harder time and the only method that seems to work is a charm offensive. We picked today to be as nice to her as possible. Firstly, this means lots of time out on the balcony. I lured her from under the bed with catnip on a pillow. Baby falls for this every time.

She appreciates a brushing too.

Lastly, I bought Baby a jumbo flat of catgrass. By the end of it all her mood seemed to lift a little, but it's hard to tell. It may be the heat that keeps sending her under the bed, poor little gipper.

Depression

2008-07-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

The cats were at Marika's moms on the weekend and now that they are home they are so depressed. We have been trying to shake them out of it but nothing is working. Baby won't even come out from under the bed, poor little gipper.

Enough is Enough!

2008-06-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Watching a cat melt is the saddest thing ever. Tigre just lay on the shelf like a sack of wet cement. Even the traditional wet tea-towel didn't seem to revive her. Baby coped by staying in the darkest spot under the bed.

We broke down after one day and bought an air conditioner. As I installed it I said "it's all for you Tigre!" And I think she really appreciated it!

The Green Shift

2008-06-24T06:23:00.001-07:00

We bought these greens for our balcony and Baby is going crazy for them. She is a herb connoisseur of the highest order. Her favourite is chives, but she is not above nibbling some parsley as well.

Meanwhile, Stéphane Dion has actually done something interesting and taken the offensive on the environment. Steven Harper's response to anything smacking of real debate on this was a predictable "screw you!" What a statesman.

For Meg

2008-06-17T07:53:00.001-07:00

Tigre was busy in the sun and refused to perform tricks for the amusement of her readers. I was able only to capture her distaste for the whole endeavour with a single photo:

Stop The Press!

2008-06-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

When you work all day in a windowless office not much excitement from the outside world comes to your attention. But today Tigre experienced something more exciting than she has seen in years.

This crow landed on the skylight!

One riveted cat!

I tried to hold Baby up to the skylight but she was too terrified at being manhandled and lifted into the air. She looked skyward for one brief moment and made her weird little bird noise, but then went back to her blind terror.

Anthropomorphic

2008-06-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Any day now Tigre is going to stand up on her hind legs, walk across the room and inquire in perfect English, "what time do you expect dinner will be served to the cats in the house?"

Doldrums

2008-05-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Karl Marx always spoke the truth, even if he was wrong about certain things. What would he say about the terrible perversion the internet has become? Probably only something about the irony of a tool with so much productive potential completely destroying all real grad student productivity. I keep this reminder above my desk.

This month I officially transitioned from fourth to fifth year. If you listen carefully you can hear my twenties letting out a sad death rattle. It might also be the sound of the university shaking a big piggy bank to celebrate wringing another year of tuition out of me.

Gremlin vs. Grace

2008-05-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Marika is upset that whenever I post a photo of Tigre the comments come flooding in but when Baby appears on the blog the readership falls silent. She asked, "is it because Baby is ugly?" I told her it was, and that nobody wants to comment on a gremliny little street urchin.

See? Gremliny!

In contrast, pure beauty!

Cats On A Treadmill

2008-05-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here are Sparky and Jet getting their exercise. Tigre is completely distressed by my interest in this video.

The Great Outdoors

2008-05-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Baby is crazy to get outdoors onto the balcony. If we let her out during the sunny morning she throws herself down on the ground and rolls around in the sun. She gets totally filthy in the process, but it makes her quite happy. Tigre comes along for the ride but doesn't really care about being outdoors. The slightest gust of wind and she loses patience and goes back inside to wait for lunch.

Baby Changes Things Up

2008-05-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

In some ways, Baby is a very boring cat. She never does anything crazy, preferring to keep to the same routines day in and out. But it also causes a lot of delight (if you are odd like me) when she finally breaks out of her shell and does something unique. Today was a double-whammy for Baby.

First I came into the morning sun to find her lazily leaning against the coffee table like she owned the place.

Baby seldom relaxes this completely, and there is something strange about seeing a cat leaned up against something like a person. I think the sun must make her a bit dopey because she just gave me a look that said "What? Get over it and put the camera away!"

A few hours later I found Baby just a foot away from her usual afternoon napping spot. She had scrambled up on top of the couch cushion, I guess because she thought it was softer. What a gremlin.

Also, why do I have brutal writers block regarding all things academic when I can effortlessly write about these cats for the 324th time in a row?

Crime and Punishment

2008-04-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Tigre rudely reached out and bit me in the arm while I was working today. I had to put her into the bedroom for punishment. But the window was wide open and I realized the poor little gipper would freeze. Not wanting to negate her punishment, we came up with a solution:

Sam

2008-04-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is a rather poor photo of Sam. We thought he was a stray and Marika would get sad when we saw him standing around in the alley. So we took him a big bowl of food and water and he devoured them.

Then we posted a notice on our bulletin board saying we were thinking of taking him to our vet's for adoption, and did anyone know this cat as we didn't want to kidnap a pet. It turns out he is owned and fed by a family down the street. And he instantly went from being a tragic and noble beast to a mooch. No more food for Sam.

Dead Sleep

2008-04-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, these two photos were taken nearly 90 minutes apart. I think Tigre must sleep more soundly than any animal who ever lived. She was out!

Who Can Resist This Gremlin?

2008-04-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

Baby gets brushed vigorously! She loves it. But she is becoming too demanding. Every time I look at her she throws herself down on the carpet and looks up at me. And people seem to treat me like a weirdo when I end phone calls by saying "I really have to get back to my cat."

Fast Friends

2008-04-15T23:32:00.001-07:00

Baby and I have been getting along extremely well lately. She has finally dispensed with the belief that I am trying to murder her and instead is intent on soaking up as much affection and brushing as I can offer. Here she is mugging on the couch while I brush her. What a demanding little beast.

Peas in a Pod

2008-03-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

When Tigre gets especially lonely, Baby pays the price.

Cat Life Coach

2008-03-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here Tigre urges me to keep working after I expressed my desire to toss my laptop off the balcony. She's a steadying influence in my life.

Chocolate Rain

2008-03-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday is taking over my life! Watch at your own risk.

Update: Chocolate Rain has taken Marika as well. The cats are next!

Baby Lets Her Guard Down

2008-03-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Catosaurus

2008-03-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

In bright sunlight, Tigre can look positively prehistoric. I'll be shocked if the curators of creationist museums don't come knocking to study her for evidence that humans and dinosaurs co-existed (approximately four thousand years ago.) I won't mind. Tigre is clearly the product of intelligent design.

Baby had to retreat into the dark side of the couch because Tigre's primitiveness was freaking her out. Sunlight is so political for cats.

General Jackson

2008-03-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

General Jackson is back! Some of my readers have been quite concerned. He looks like he is in good form!

Reiki Master Level IV

2008-03-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

We have some friends who are into the healing powers of reiki. As far as we are concerned, Baby has been a reiki master for a long time. If you put your index finger on her pink paws you can feel the positive energy flowing into that hand. It is quite remarkable. Marika never knew she was adopting some sort of mystic when she got Baby, it was just luck.

On the other hand, Tigre has no mystical powers whatsoever. They never developed because she spent all her time focusing on meals and naps. Still, she has become quite an expert at these pursuits in her own right. Witness her commitment to these lost arts:

St. Tigre

2008-03-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Baby usually takes up her spot on the couch early in the morning to wait for the sun to arrive. When Tigre and Baby first lived together, Tigre would just barge in and knock Baby out of the way to take up the sunny spot. Look at the progress! Now Tigre creeps onto the couch and nudges forward until her head is in the sunlight. Baby appreciates her newfound civility.

Norman Bates

2008-03-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is Norman Bates from Montreal. He is probably among the more refined cats in Tigre's extended social network.

Instead of Cats, Kids!

2008-03-07T16:44:00.001-08:00

Today I am featuring my niece Hazel who had to be rushed to the hospital after sticking this styrofoam packing chip up her nose.

As she was being treated at the hospital all the nurses and her mom were laughing at the predicament. Hazel let them know "it's NOT funny!" What a kid.

High Noon

2008-03-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

I walked into the living room today to witness this standoff in progress:

Tigre wins round one!

UPDATE: Marika will be so dissapointed when she sees the cats not getting along like this. She wants them to be more like Stina and Mossy who are great conversationalists: (turn up your volume!)

Good Grief

2008-03-04T22:56:00.001-08:00

Tigre is a very needy cat. She insists on being involved in everything. Here I am trying to take a nap with Tigre trying to take a nap on my back. Trying to nap with an eighteen pound sack on your back is not very restful. Although it does give comfort to the sack...

Tigre and Elephants

2008-03-04T22:53:00.000-08:00

Another weight loss suggestion from the "Weight Loss Club For Cats" is to put some kibble in a bottle with holes cut in the side. The vet said it was like Elephants at the zoo who have a keg stuffed with peanuts. I think Tigre deeply resented the Elephant analogy.

Here is Tigre trying to get kibble out of the bottle. She hates it, but can procure kibbles if she knocks it around enough. Baby took a turn too, but she's not as "food motivated" as Tigre. Sadly, our whole life now revolves around this cat diet.

The Chub Club

2008-03-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

We decided that enough was enough and took Tigre to the vet today to join their "Weight Loss Club For Cats." I'm not joking - she even gets a special certificate if she loses twenty percent of her body weight.

Tigre distinguished herself by hissing at the vet and trying to bite her while she was checking out the fat rolls. She hissed at the receptionist who said hello, hissed at the homeless cats awaiting adoption (my Malthusian cat) and then hissed at an old lady on our way out. What a cat.

She's on a new special diet and the vet said I have to encourage her hunting instincts by hiding her food throughout the house. It will only take her about six seconds to find it, but I guess every little bit of exercise helps. I wonder if Nola has this problem?

So Optimistic!

2008-02-27T16:06:00.001-08:00

Baby has high hopes that the ruling ~~Fascist~~ Progressive Conservative Party will finally be defeated this weekend in the provincial election. Next up, an Obama Presidency!

Nola = Tigre?

2008-02-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

I was dumbstruck today to receive a comment from Nola who is apparently Tigre's identical twin. Here is Nola:

I'm not sure if Nola noticed this yet. Maybe the two of them should strike out together to find their birth mother. Here's a profile comparison. Which is Tigre? Guess and win!

Surprised?

2008-02-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

At least if McCain wins the White House we can count on consistent Republican hypocrisy. Senator McCain likes to talk about how he's going to boot the lobbyists out of Washington when he wins. Today in the Washington Post:

Public Citizen, a group that monitors campaign fundraising, has found that McCain had more bundlers -- people who gather checks from networks of friends and associates -- from the lobbying community than any other presidential candidate from either party.

By the group's current count, McCain had at least 59 federal lobbyists raising money for his campaign, compared with 33 working for Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani and 19 working for Democrat Clinton.

I'm sure if he wins he'll just turn his back on all those favors he owes...

Baby's Basset Hound

2008-02-20T14:30:00.001-08:00

We gave Baby this little Basset Hound after spraying it with catnip oil. Its hard to tell with such a stoic cat, but it may be love.

Little Butterball

2008-02-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

This fat little ritual happens four times a day. Is it possible that Tigre gets too much affection?

True Artistry

2008-02-18T16:33:00.001-08:00

No camera technology is capable of capturing Tigre's true grace of movement. And no person is capable of containing Tigre's girth as Marika finds out here. Tigre's diet starts tomorrow!

Cat Training Manual

2008-02-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

Giving Tigre affection without her permission is dangerous.

Here is the proper method, with her approval. She is pleased.

Uno!

2008-02-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Uno, the first ever beagle to win the Westminster Dog show. Can a Basset victory be far behind?

A Baby Flipbook

2008-02-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Pretty happy,

But that's even better!

Over It

2008-02-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Tigre is so tired of this entire dissertation business. She can't even register disgust any more. I tell her, "I'm writing! I'm writing!"

Home Improvement

2008-02-10T19:40:00.001-08:00

It has been one of those days. Everything in our house is breaking down at the same time. At last count, the kitchen and bathroom taps are dripping, the fan on the stove is broken, the burners on the stove will only heat up 3/4, and our dishwasher door is broken too. Then we were watching a DVD during dinner and the damn DVD player broke down!

I decided to try to fix the bathroom tap and succeeded only in stopping the flow of water altogether. My handy brother came over to help and this was the shocking result:

Somehow the hot water tap exploded into the air and then the lightbulbs above the mirror exploded from the hot water. There was glass and water everywhere and some glass shards became embedded in my bald head. Marika had to spend some time grooming them out.

Tigre and Baby cowered in the bedroom, convinced we were constructing some sort of cat torture device. Cats always think it's all about them.