Illiterati

Do I wake or sleep?

Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, I love this...

It's "Ode to a Nightingale."  In LOLcat. 

Is there anything better?

Name TBD, Win This Cat*

Yesterday I ran across Bossy's post about celebrity baby names, wondering what JLo and Marc Anthony are going to name the impending.  The ridiculous things celebrities name their kids always tickles me, because it's clear that celebrities hate their babies and want them to grow up miserable and alone.  Because if the kids I went to school with could make fun of "Becky Johns," what chance does poor Moxie Crimefighter have?

But the post got me thinking: Brando and I need a really cool/really awful baby name for TBD when he/she/it arrives.

So I ask you, dear readers:  Should it be Apple?  Suri?  Jet?  Ireland?

The winning entry will garner our undying gratitude, and THIS:

* cat will choose the winning name by puking on entry.  offer not valid outside the UP or in any of the counties within the UP.  The proprietors of this blog reserve the right not to use any name deemed weird.

2006, Good Riddance

As 2006 winds to a very welcome close, I'd like to reflect on the horror that's been the past year.

First, a very big pffpht to the tornado, for destroying my garage, two cars, half the roof, all the siding on the house, thirteen windows and the entire backyard.

Second, a pffpht to the insurance company, for taking so long to assess the damage and not giving us enough to cover all of it.

Third, a big middle finger to the construction company, which did such a bad job that even now I'm having to hire people to undo the work they did. To whit:

Who would look at this window and think the repair was done correctly?  I mean, WHO??? Bowel (B) Movement (M) Construction out of Cedar Rapids, that's who.

Finally, an extra-special "up yours" to the universe, for four failed IVF cycles and a second miscarriage.

Now, lest you think it's all negative around here, here's a few things I am thankful for:

For the small furry things that live in my house:

My family, for being so blessedly normal;

My husband:

who always makes me laugh;

My friends, for always knowing when (and how much) I need them.

Here's to a happy, healthy, and tornado-free 2007.  Blessings to all of you.

While I Wait for Beta #2, Here is Something Else to Look At

Here is the newest member of the family, Jonesy, taken yesterday while I was putting the fall blankets on the bed.  As you can see, he looks completely traumatized by his change in location:

My 10-year-old cat has come to accept him, but my 17-pound baby of a 13-year-old continues his campaign of hissing and spitting and running away.  Here is Jonesy's response to all that shite: