Such a lazy day today I honestly couldn’t remember if I had showered or not, so I was brushing my fangs prior to hosing myself off, and Tunch got in the shower. I looked at him, finished brushing, and then got in the shower. He didn’t move. I pulled the shower curtain shut. He still just stood there. You know where this is going, don’t you?
I then… picked him up and carried him out, because I’m stupid, but I’m not that damned stupid.
Chris Wolf
My cat LOVES the rain.
We had to give him a bath once because of fleas…he loved that, too.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
Man, I remember when Philadelphia was tough.
General Stuck
Good move. The wet cat in closed space syndrome would ruin even a miserable day. Just gave the pooch his bath, and dry off. For the rest of the night, as far as Charlie goes, I will be the biggest asshole in the solar system.
Ash Can
I was wondering if that little story was going to end with the number of stitches you had to get.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
I wonder if Tunch ever showered with RAHM!?
Rommie
Wouldn’t that qualify you for the World’s Strongest Man competition?
Yeah, I went there, but the Lions have won 3 straight games, so the world is ending soon.
PurpleGirl
@Ash Can: Yup, I was thinking too. Thanks for a laugh, John.
WereBear
Turkish Van!
I called it.
Michael D.
I was gonna say… But you thought about turning on that water.
My partner ran the water the other day to take a bath. Walked out of the bathroom to get a towel, came back in, and the dog was in the tub wallowing in the hot water.
joe from Lowell
I’m just glad you didn’t try to solve this dilemma by reaching with a mop handle.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
History’s Greatest Monster rears his ugly head!
Maude
@Ash Can:
I was going to say that salt gets blood out of clothing.
gene108
Very relaxing day.
Went to work in the morning, after going to Home Depot at about 10 am, to only find out they were out of proper snow shovels (I live in Southern New Jersey, where we are getting snowed quit heavily upon). I found a plastic, telescoping shovel (much like the one I had, which broke shoveling my car out from being plowed in, in the condo parking lot, after the last 20″+ snowmaggedon we had last year), which was last one they had on display (lucky me) and probably the last one they had in stock, since they were out of all other snow shovels.
They did bring up some big garden shovels and people were buying those.
What confuses me is why the hell do people need to constantly buy snow shovels, every time it snows? Mine broke, but I had it a few years. Why everyone else in Burlington County needed a new snow shovel today, I can’t imagine.
Anyway, after purchasing my prize, I went to work to finish a couple of things, which I would’ve come in early tomorrow to do, but I doubt that would be likely to happen given the weather conditions.
I went to a pizza place on my way home and bought a large mushroom pizza and had a couple of slices.
I then had absolutely nothing to do. There was no reason to go out, due to the weather. No reason to feel bad for playing video games, for example, because I was putting something else off that needed to be doing. I can now savor every “wasted” minute of this day.
It’s been blissfully relaxing,
TaMara (BHF)
@Michael D.: That just made my night.
Personally, I would have turned the water on. One of my cats was laying on my massage bed, right on the little shiatsu heads and, well I couldn’t help myself.
TaMara (BHF)
@Michael D.: That just made my night.
Personally, I would have turned the water on. One of my cats was lying on my massage bed, right on the little shiatsu heads and, well I couldn’t help myself.
gbear
My 16 year old tort follows me into the bathroom every morning and sits next to the tub while I take a shower. A couple of times I’ve caught her pushing the curtain aside a little so she could peek in. She waits impatiently for me to finish up so she can jump in the tub and lick up the water that still on the tub floor, including the soap dish. Then she leaves little round wet footprints all over the hallway and bedroom. This is our standard morning routine.
Mr Stagger Lee
Well if anybody cares, I’m watching “The Battle” about the marching bands of Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman University. Two Historically Black Colleges with great reputations for their entertaining half time shows. Though I like the battle between Grambling and Southern University also. It is on ESPNU
Warren Terra
How’s your back?
joe from Lowell
@gbear:
Uh…I’ll be in my bunk.
Nobody tell me what a “tort” is until I get back.
Restrung
gbear,
hah, my little persian tortie (if that’s possible, have to ask) yells and chases my feet when I get out of the shower. mrow! mroww!
joe from Lowell
So, it turns out it’s a cat.
Son, I am disappoint.
debit
Oliver gets in the shower with me all the time. He just sits in the back once the shower starts.
asiangrrlMN
Cole, I knew it did not end badly because you were able to post this post. Ha. Both my cats like to drink out of the tub when I’m taking a bath, and I have a hunch Raven wouldn’t mind taking a shower. He likes to drink from the tap, and he’ll dunk his head under the trickle at times.
@Michael D.: OK, this is just a great image. I imagine your dog with a martini in one hand and a loofah in the other. Priceless.
gbear
@joe from Lowell:
Well, the other 16 year old is chained up in the bedroom.
(you happy now?)
2liberal
@joe from Lowell:
firefly reference?
Lesley
Tunch likes to pull your chain doesn’t he?
PurpleGirl
@gene108:
I was just thinking that myself after seeing a Philadelphia news clip at another blog. I live in a co-op complex and we have a maintenance crew (who are outside now). But I remember that growing up, my father had several shovels on hand and he bought salt in October to have ready for the snow. No last minute buying trips to the hardware store for him.
Loneoak
@2liberal:
No force in the Verse can stop me!
My dog Turnip is such a sweety that she will just get in the tub when I tell her it is bath time. She doesn’t exactly like it, although she does really like being towled off and getting a cookie for her trouble.
de stijl
(Walks up to @joe from Lowell: ‘s door. Knocks. Awaits expected reply.)
PS – If you respond correctly, I’ll kick myself in the taint.
istvan
Dos anyone have advise on how to trap an ex gro-op/barn cat? She lives in the house with us but we are moving and want to take her with us.
parsimon
Was he waiting to pee? You do know that some cats take to peeing down, around, in the general vicinity of, the shower drain. It’s quite nice of them, actually: they know this place gets rinsed out on a regular basis and so on.
I can’t believe you were this insensitive, Cole.
Anya
I’ve been looking at paint colors all day, I am at a point where I cannot distinguish between colors anymore. I am trying to pain my bedroom so I would like your opinion of a good color for a bedroom. If you can get past the rustic/antiquey style (mine is contemporary), what do you think of the color combo?
Just Some Fuckhead
I’m pretty sure this post shoulda been titled “Dear Penthouse Variations.”
Buck
Non-kitty related:
Great post over at Southern Beale… “Dignity For The Trashman”
A taste:
Just Some Fuckhead
@Anya: We’re going to do our bedroom in orange one of these days. As close to eye-popping vibrant orange as possible without slipping into cartoonish. The problem is the paint always looks different at the store which is why my kitchen is now spongebob yellow.
WaterGirl
@gene108: A couple of years ago we got a big snowstorm and I needed to shovel. Sadly, both my snow shovels were in the little shed that’s built onto the side of my house, and the snow was so high I couldn’t open my shed. In other words, I needed a new shovel to get to my shovels!
WaterGirl
@Anya: Beware of yellow! I once painted my kitchen cabinets a lovely shade of yellow (I thought) and they turned out loud and garish. If your heart is set on yellow, then I recommend that you find the yellow you think you want from the color chart and then have them mix your paint at 1/3 or 1/2 strength.
parsimon
@Buck: Good stuff. Thanks.
Hal
RIP Teena Marie.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20453187,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
Anya
@Just Some Fuckhead: That’s my fear, that’s why I cannot make a simple decision. Orange, really? I want a mix of blue and yellow but I don’t want the yellow to over take.
joe from Lowell
@de stijl:
Go ‘way!
‘Batin!
SiubhanDuinne
@Anya: I love yellow — it’s my favourite colour — but I agree that on walls, a little goes a long way, and it can be disastrous if it’s off by just *this* much.
Since you like the yellow-and-blue combo, though, have you considered maybe a nice rich cream for the walls and then use yellows and blues as accents. The cream would imply yellowness without making you feel you were drowning in egg yolk, but you could go nuts with throw pillows and picture mats :-)
bmaccnm
How long can one keep a dog crated? I adopted a dog from the humane society that turned out NOT to be the house-trained two year old they described but street-raised, untrained, and very much still a puppy. I work long days- 12 to 14 hours- and can’t figure out the dog’s schedule, let alone get her on anyhting that suits my schedule. I’m not quite at the point of returning her, but I really don’t like the multiple piles I’m finding. Any advice is welcome, thanks
Anya
@WaterGirl: I am a bit afraid of the yellow. I viewed an open house recently and they had this beautiful blend of yellow and blue but I cannot find that combination. I think they mixed several colors to get the perfect combination.
@SiubhanDuinne: I think I will follow your suggestion. I should focus on accents and decor but less yellow on the wall.
Anne Laurie
@istvan: __
If you’ve got some time before the big day, I would get a cat carrier and set it up, with the door open & a nice soft old towel or blanket inside, someplace she likes to nap. It will be easier for everybody if she has a portable “den” that she’s already used to when she’s acclimating to a new place.
Depending on how “wild” (feral) she is, if you need an actual hav-a-heart style trap, you may be able to borrow / rent one from your local animal control department. (Try calling the police department for the right number, if they’re not in the phone book). The Alley Cat Allies may also have a branch in your area, and if so, they should be able to help not just with equipment but with experienced advice for your “shadow cat”.
Loneoak
@bmaccnm:
You CANNOT keep a dog crated for that length of time. If you work 12-14 hour days and live alone you need a cat, not a dog.
Sometimes shelters can be dishonest and it doesn’t work out. But even an 8-hour absence is pushing what is fair to a dog, a young one especially.
de stijl
@joe from Lowell:
Thx!
(kicks self in taint. kicks pebble also, too. walks away)
John O
To all those suffering a tough winter: Al Gore is fat.
I’m really enjoying my new Kindle, completed, IMO, by the leather carrying case with built-in light, which you only need under severe darkness conditions.
Makes it feel more like a book. Easy on the eyes.
Verdict is “recommend.”
Ruckus
Saw this at Not Always Right
One Sells Cats, The Other Sells Cat-Suits
Adult Store | Fontana, CA, USA
(I am the assistant manager at a store that specializes in adult videos and toys.)
Customer: “How did you end up here anyway?”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Customer: “How did you end up working here?”
Me: “I applied?”
Customer: “No, I mean, what’s an innocent little girl like you doing working at a place like this?”
Me: “Well, you know how people who love animals work at pet stores?”
(The customer has a moment of realization and becomes clearly flustered.)
Customer: “Oh…well, excuse me.” *leaves hurriedly
Anne Laurie
@Anya: __
Yeah, it’s tough to pick the right yellow… especially since the “right” yellow on a dreary midwinter evening may turn out to be garish & overwhelming on a sunny summer afternoon. Some paint lines (& hardware stores) sell little “tester” cans these days, enough for you to paint a good swatch of wall that you can live with for a while before committing to the complete re-do.
Blue is traditional for bedrooms because it’s supposed to be “soothing”. This means you can always find blue linens & drapery when you want to update. And different shades of blue usually coordinate well, which is also helpful. Finding linens in yellow might not be so easy… although of course yellow-and-blue is a popular “French Provincial” or “French Country” combination, American retailers’ interpretation of that style tends to cycle out of favor. So I guess part of the issue is how soon you’ll get tired of a particular set of drapes / bedcovers — or whether, like us, you have pets who ensure that “cheap, washable, and replaceable” have to take priority for any bedroom linens!
bmaccnm
@Loneoak:
In my heart I know this, and I am very sad. She’s very sweet, but I no longer have kids at home, and I can’t give her what she needs. I have to take her back. I haz a very big sad.
gene108
@WaterGirl: I learned an important lesson during the first huge snow storm last year: Keep my snow shovel in doors, where I can easily get at it before the storm hits.
I had a little plastic telescoping shovel, which I thought was great because I could keep it my trunk and take it out whenever it snowed.
I’d mostly just used it for cleaning off the car and a little bit of wherever I needed to clear out to get out of the parking spot.
When I went to my car, with two feet of snow on it, I realized I couldn’t get the trunk open. After pushing the snow off, with my jacketed arms and gloved hands, I got enough off the trunk to be able to open it finally. The down side is my gloves were wet and it was still cold outside, but I was able to get the shovel out and my car and spot clean.
On a side note about not getting doors open, I remember when I was in Ann Arbor, we had an older house whose garage doors used to swing open and not go straight up like most do today. Those doors would often get snowed shut and we’d have to take the shovels out of the garage and through the house to dig the doors open.
It wasn’t bad, unless we were coming back from something and my mom couldn’t get the door open because of the snow in front.
gene108
@Anya: I’m usually a big fan of white for walls, but when I had my kitchen cabinets and counter tops replaced, I decided to be bold and go with something not white.
I found a very light shade of beige. It has a touch of yellow in it, but doesn’t stand out at all and blends in well with the white walls in the rest of my place.
Anne Laurie
@bmaccnm: __
Oh, dear. Rule of thumb is that a dog over 18 months can “hold it” for 8 to 10 hours, barring other health issues. A dog less than a year old probably can’t wait more than 4 to 6 hours. Unless you can reliably take a “lunch break” where you can come home and spend 15 or 20 minutes going walkies — or find (pay) someone, a neighbor or a professional, you trust with your housekey — a crate is NOT a good solution for you. If your new housemate has to sit in her own mess consistently, she will lose her natural “don’t foul where you sleep” instincts, and that will make her REALLY tough to housetrain. (Trust me on this; I spent a full year “retraining” our rescue dog Sydney, who’d been crated like this by his former owners. Even though I was home all the time, and could take him out every couple hours.)
Compromise solution would be to set up one room — a bathroom, the kitchen, a mudroom or rec room — big enough for the dog to move around and for a “toilet area” marked with newspapers, piddle pads, or one of the new indoor-doggie-toilet contraptions. If she’s small enough, this is what a folding exercise pen was designed for. If she’s too large, or strong enough to leap/knock over an x-pen, you may have to get creative with baby gates to mark out her “confinement area”. The idea is to give her enough space that she’s not sitting in her own mess, but not so much that you can’t clean up efficiently when you come home.
If she’s really so unpredictable that you can’t figure out when she’s liable to take a dump, you may want to talk to your vet. Possibly she’s got a bladder infection, and/or some kind of intestinal parasite, that’s interfering with her ability to “hold it”. (Shelters don’t always have the time or budget to stay on top of every animal’s health issues.) Spayed female dogs can have the same urinary-incontinence issues as older women (but they can be treated very easily with proin or estrogen). Or she may have food allergies, which can be tricky to figure out, but your vet will be able to set you up with a trial diet to see if that’s the issue.
istvan
Thanks Anne Laurie,we have to catch her brother too! i am afraid that if we get one we won’t the other.
Steeplejack
@Anya:
The yellow/green line is fraught with peril. There are a lot of yellow tones that look good in sunlight or bright light but with the lights down fade to a greenish undertone, and not in a good way. The picture you linked (ETA: top one on the page) sort of has that going on, with the added complication of the blue.
What you want–well, what I want–is a yellow that fades to white, not green, under low-light conditions. I heartily recommend Duron Sugar Cookie (not too awful example here). I have this exact color name seared into my memory because it worked so well in a dining room I had about 15 years ago and I hope to use it again someday. It’s a nice but not overpowering yellow in sunlight, and in dark conditions you don’t get a green or “dark” undertone coming out.
If you’re thinking about going with a yellow/blue combination, I would try to find a complementary blue that also “fades to white” under low-light conditions, especially if you’re going to use it for a bedroom.
Maybe it’s just my monitor, but the picture you linked to sort of accentuates the bad things that can happen at the blue/green/yellow nexus. I much prefer the second picture down. You could use a number of different blues with that sort of tobacco/parchment yellow. I find it very peaceful and relaxing but not soporific.
Bruce Webb
Tunch, John, Shower
John you missed a great business opportunity there. I would have paid money and I am not even into slasher flicks. It couldn’t hurt worse than the shoulder and the simoleons would have poured in. Dang.
istvan
White(there are many many shades) with mirrors ,it makes a room look larger. Lets get back to cats.
Montysano
@Anya:
I’ve been looking at paint colors all day
THE
Ultimate Geek gift.
This is so freakin’ awesome
Montysano
Sheeesh…. HTML tag FAIL on my part. I’m taking this as a clear sign that I need more wine and another piece of pound cake.
Anya
I type up this semi long post but then my safari just quit on me. So thank you guys for all the tips. I beginning to think that I should maybe let go of yellow, then again @Steeplejack: suggestion gives me hope. I will look for sample of Duron Sugar Cookie.
Anne Laurie, I think you’re right and most types of yellow fit better with the French Provincial and my furniture is contemporary. I am hoping there is a perfectly suitable yellow that will work in all seasons and will not be overwhelming.
@Montysano: I will look for that. I don’t want to blow money on consultants but I am really struggling with this simple thing.
Steeplejack
@Anya:
Even if you don’t like the Duron Sugar Cookie, I think the “parchment” yellow in the second photo on the page you linked would go well with contemporary furniture.
Yutsano
@Montysano:
Just out of curiosity, you NEED a sign for this?
Southern Beale
@Buck:
Thank you, Buck!
Cheryl from Maryland
@Anya: I think it has potential, but be careful as mentioned above.
It’s the basic color palette used by Johannes Vermeer — http://www.navigo.com/wm/paint/auth/vermeer/vermeer.milkmaid.jpg.
So you are in excellent company.
It is also quite popular in classic 18th C. Swedish design, aka Gustavian Style — http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/beds-mattresses/gustavian-style-bed-from-viva-terra-074138
grumpy realist
Anya:
Have you used any of those “paint the virtual room the color you like” programs? A lot of the paint companies have those available on their websites. There’s one (Benjamin Paints?) that allows you to upload pix of your own room to work from, if you want to try that.
When I painted my living room, I got a bunch of paint strips, cut them up, then stuck potential colors up on the wall for a few weeks just to see how I felt about them. Or you could get one of those test cans, paint a piece of posterboard and prop it up against the wall. I’d suggest waiting until you’ve seen the candidate color in all sorts of different lighting conditions (I painted my room violet, which is flamboyant purple in sunlight but fades to mauve under artificial light).
Depending on how much other stuff you are planning to have on your walls (or furniture shoved up against it), you can get away with pretty strong colors if your heart is really set upon something–say, bright goldenrod.
Good luck!
EmmATX
@gbear:
How funny! I thought my cat was the only one who did this, right down to the muddy footprints! He’s a 10 year old flame point siamese, and his preferred spot to sit and wait for me to get out of the shower is on the toilet lid. Sometimes when he hears me turn the shower on, he comes running into the bathroom to keep from getting shut out.
Currants
@Anya: I’m coming into this color/paint discussion way late, and I’m the WORST on choosing paint colors (I’m with the “in the store it looked…” crowd). BUT: try Benjamin Moore’s #163. It looks different in different lights–I have it in most of the public rooms in the house, where it looks different on the north side (shaded by pines) than on the south (open with lots of windows), and I like it in every place. It’s a yellow of some sort, probably has a name but…eh. The number’s all you need. Another in the greens (if you’re going all green, not just yellow-green), is HC141.