The Cats Are Always Furrier

I was cat sitting for the neighbors this week. They have two adorable kitties named Puck (the orange one) and Oden (the grey one). Whenever I tried taking a pic of Puck he(?) would get all up in my face with curiosity.

Puck always greeted me at the door, followed me everywhere, and loved to be scratched on the head and play with toys. Oden was often nowhere to be found, but after the first 2 days he would come out and play when he heard the tinkling bells of cat toys.

Task Master

Jackie keeps me on task during the work day.

Faux Hawk

The flea stuff I put on the cats makes them look like they've been gelled and spiked.

Things have been pretty quiet around here for awhile. I guess that means we're all settled in. Here are some more Mr M pics from the last few days:


The best thing about Mr M is that he loves to snuggle. He doesn't care if your arm or leg is in the spot where he wants to be, he'll just sit on top of it.


Or if you want to share more of his space he's happy to oblige.


Last week I started my regular volunteer work at the East End Food Co-op. I shelved boxes of cereal and milk substitutes for 2 hours Wednesday morning. I've never heard of most of the cereals, and I was stunned by the array of soy, almond, and even hemp milks available. It earns me a 10% discount on my purchases there, and it gets me out of the house in the morning.

Saturday morning Dave and I went down to the South Side for breakfast at Tom's Diner. My frittata was awesome, but the hash browns were barely warmed, and Dave's "super cinnamon" French toast platter was cold and disappointing. The service was brusque, and the prices make it hard to justify a return visit.

Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood reminds me of the Short North in Columbus, OH. Bars, cafes, restaurants, tattoo shops, music stores, imports, arts and antiques line both sides of the street for several blocks.

We're also cat sitting for the next-door neighbors this week. Contrary to their personalities when they're tethered outside, Puck is very friendly and greets us at the door, but Oden is shy and nervous.

We've been to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and while the music was good the movie was completely forgettable. We also saw Ghost Town, and yeah the ads looked incredibly stupid, but this is actually a good movie because Ricky Gervais is hilarious and the plot takes some interesting turns.

Couple Of Lumps

It's too cold to fight. They forget their differences and cuddle when the temperature drops.

Can This Wait?

I've got a call coming in.

Nap Time

Please Pass the Steak

Mr M. frequently sits next to the table waiting for a scrap. Or he's hiding in one of the pushed in chairs waiting for an opportunity to surprise us. Last night he was trying to behave like a proper dinner guest. Maybe he thinks we won't notice he's a cat and give him a plate too?

Went back to Square Cafe for breakfast this morning. We love this place.

Nom Nom Nom

Jackie has nearly destroyed her favorite feather toy over the last 3 months. This afternoon I finally found a pet supply store that sells these things in a town only 7 miles away.

On that trip I stopped in at Hooters for lunch. I've never been to Hooters, and I might never have been curious, but an intelligent, liberated female friend of mine said she liked to go to a Hooters in every city she visited because the food was good. So, what the hell.

It turns out that the women working at Hooters aren't wearing tops any more daring than I might wear myself. The real eyebrow-lifter is the micro mini skirts reminiscent of tiny cheerleader uniforms that reveal a LOT of ass cheek. I was expecting the orange short shorts shown in the ads, but I guess this franchise has its own dress code. No cellulite-bearer need apply within! And please wear clean underwear!

The person who recommended this place to me is clearly insane. The food wasn't all that great either. I probably won't be back.

Last night Dave and I went to Ali Baba for dinner. We're still trying to find the Pittsburgh version of Afghani House or Kabul, or even the crazy Rose Market bbq stand, but this place isn't it either. The menu looks really good, and the price looks right, but the portions are very small, and the grilled meats are unmarinated and dry.

Hard At Work

Mr. Moustache likes to sit on my lap while I'm working, so I can't type or reach my coffee cup.

Lunch today was at the Murray Ave Grill for a Cobb salad. It was a pretty good meal, and now that it's non-smoking I can picture going there regularly.

Dave was busy Monday night grading his first test. On my own for dinner, I decided to wander the streets and see what grabbed my eye. I have passed Mr. Willy's BBQ several times, but there's never anyone in there so it can't be any good can it?

Only one way to know for sure. I ordered the 1/2 chicken with sauce, and I wanted the greens, but they were out, so I settled on broccoli cheddar casserole. They threw in a slice of corn bread, too. Since it was completely empty, I didn't feel like eating at the restaurant, so I had them pack it to go.


The meat wasn't bad, but a little on the dry side. The sauce was quite good, but I would not recommend the broccoli cheese stuff. And the cornbread? Well, nobody makes cornbread like my mama does, so I was not expecting to like it, and I was not surprised when I didn't.

I made it back to the CMU gym again yesterday and today. I swam on Tuesday for 20 minutes again, and I didn't have to stop and tread water as much or for as long to bring my heart rate down from heart attack threshold.

This morning I decided to see what's what in the weight room. I wasn't shocked to find that there wasn't an extensive free weights area, but I was a little surprised to find no barbells, only dumbbells.

I tried to do deadlifts with the 30lb dumbbells but it's hard not to bang those into your shins. I found that I could still bench press with the 25lb dumbbells so I have not regressed so badly in strength as I feared.

My cardiovascular fitness is another story altogether. It does not take much work to get me winded and sweaty. This I need to work on.

I'm here to file a complaint!

The Neighbors

I can always tell when the neighbor cats are spying on us, because Jackie goes nuts and starts clawing at the screen.

Cat Clings to Childhood

When the new sofa was delivered we had to find a new spot for the futon. I thought it could go in the attic as a spare bed (just in case), but Dave suggested we should try it in the study first since there's no comfortable seating in there (and we'd have to heave it up fewer flights of steps).

Since I callously left their favorite shredded armchair and ottoman on a curb in California the week we moved, this was the only remaining piece of furniture the cats had grown up with from our previous home (they are very attached to the furniture--sometimes quite literally). So now that it is in the office I can usually find one of them curled up between the cushions while I'm working in there.

Cat Pic of the Day

Cats are cute and furry, and often amusing, so I want to be sure to properly document our cats. I'll try to capture them doing something cat-like or stupid (typical) each day. Today they are both sleeping on the bed: