Shiny!

[merimask]

Ok, what is pretty and white in this picture?  Besides my dog.

That's right!  That would be my NEW garage door!  A guy installed it today and I did not think to take a "before" picture (so you have no idea how pathetically ugly & sad our old door was).

Kiba actually posed for me, by the way.  I was so proud of him.  He sat on command and even stayed for a few seconds...which is a real accomplishment for that brat.  I hugged him and said "Good dog!  This is as good as you get!"  The secret to being happy with your Siberian husky's attempts at obedience is not to expect too much.  That way, sometimes you get a nice surprise.

Of course once I backed up to get a better pic of the door, he had to move too.

Oh well.  Now I REALLY have to paint that trim...it looks miserable next to my shiny new door.

Oh.  You HAVE to see this.  This picture is not staged in any way, and it's not the first time I've caught him doing this.  Kumo likes it under the kitty mat.

He is the WEIRDEST cat.  Those are boogie mats...they have a thin layer of padding & they unzip so you can put catnip in 'em.  Coolest kitty accessories ever.  Kumo likes to rearrange them, however.  He stacks them on top of eachother to make an extra soft bed, he crawls under them (as you see), he even uses them to hide the food in his bowl, so he can save it for later.  I've seen him do it; he drags the pads over there with his teeth & nudges them into place, atop the food bowls.  Funny, funny cat.

In other news; I'm drinking this new super-special Chinese "diet" tea (it's just amped up oolong tea, really).  It's working in the strangest way.  I am not shakey or sweaty or revved up at all, but I AM awake and aware.  Also, every two hours I'm STARVING...but I just eat a tiny bit & then I'm utterly fine.  It seems to be boosting my metabolism somehow, perhaps?  That's what it's supposed to do.  I know when I was pregnant that's exactly how I felt (awake & hungry every few hours, but I didn't stuff myself & I actually LOST weight...I weighed less on the day I gave birth than I did when I got pregnant & I was totally healthy) & I know for a fact that my metabolism was all amped up then too.  

Hmm!  This could work, maybe...  ;-)

Comments

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

I think our cats are related somehow. Becket prefers to be *under* the throw rugs. I've got a photo of him under the kitchen rug peering out - and he had to work pretty hard to get there! He also likes to put his toys in the empty wet-food dish during the day. Except the catnip mice. He puts those in his water dish to steep like tea bags.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

You know, Kumo is very Siamese-ish. He has a tiny build, he is very "funny" & full of personality, and he talks a LOT...all things I've heard about Siamese cats. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out he had one somewhere in his genetic makeup.

I think it's very cute that Becket makes his own catnip tea. :-)

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't surprise me. Siamese have been crossed out a *lot* and it's in the general pet population where you see the old style colorpoint cats. Cat's that look like *cats* not some weird rodent space-alien creature. The CFA has a lot to answer for with what they've done to the breed.

He does seem to have a lot of the personality traits. Siamese tend to be very dog-like (for cats) with their attachment to people. And they do talk! I've met some that just howl, but mine tend to have conversations with me - I truly believe that it's not just meaningless noise. Becket in particular wants to interact vocally with you. It's very cute.

The catnip tea was one of those "moments." At first I was mad, and then I just had to sit down and giggle maniacally. The water was green. The mouse was a loss, but they're cheap at PetSmart.

Eight hours here, then on the road to Syracuse. No house projects this weekend.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

And he could even be half-Siamese and not look it at all -- I once met a mother and son pair of cats, mom was a purebred old-timey applehead siamese, her son was an IMMENSE dark tortoiseshell tom with bright green eyes; you'd never have thought they were related.

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

Definitely! The purebred pedigreed Siamese that was my childhood cat had a litter of kittens with the neighborhood mongrel tomcat before we had her spayed. In that litter, two kittens were perfect colorpoint Siamese, and two kittens were black with not-blue eyes. We kept one of the black kittens, ended up with a litter from HER (okay, we were careless. It was the early '70's, and we didn't know much better) of which two were black and two were "Siamese." Needless to say, both times it was MUCH easier to find homes for the Siamese-looking kittens.

I currently have two. Siamese are like potato chips - you can't have just one. And they're addictive.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Siamese are like potato chips - you can't have just one. And they're addictive.

Hee, that's also the conventional wisdom about huskies on Sibernet-L...and people always say they're very cat-like for dogs, much like Siamese are supposed to be a bit more dog-like. So maybe Meri's fallen for the Potato Chip Syndrome already, she's just collecting different flavors! ;)

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

There isn't anything that legitimately boosts metabolism long term other than muscle gain, BUT most meta-boost type pills/drinks contain hoodia, caffeine, and a few other herbs depending on company. Hoodia makes you feel full (VERY effective, that stuff) and caffeine in the right amount makes you do more without even realizing it...so you eat less and exercise more without even intending to. That's how those puppies work. It's both a scam and totally effective...it's not exactly doing that they say it does but they DO tend to work, unless you get used to them and the effectiveness drops (that always happens to me). If it contains yerba mate, watch out. It's not dangerous unless you have certain conditions BUT it contains INTENSE amounts of caffeine, far more than coffee, for example.

The stuff in green tea is supposed to be a thermogenic, which it could well be. That's what all meta-boost/weight loss pills contain...stuff that makes you feel full, stuff to give you more energy, and thermogenics. Be careful with thermogenics. They can be effective short term but not long term and while I've never heard of them being fatal they can cause problems.

Most pills of that nature aren't particularly harmful though. Did you check the ingredients to see what is in it? Some of them contain ephedrine.

I shouldn't know all this, and probably you don't wanna know anyway. But this is just my area, lol. Anything to do with weight control, bleah.

PS: You can buy hoodia pure or in a tea, and it REALLY REALLY kills the appetite. It's totally safe.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

The stuff I have is oolong tea, from Wu-Yi provence. Oolong tea leaves are from the same plant that green tea comes from...just picked at a different stage of maturity & prepared in a different way. It's much darker & more concentrated than green tea (not as strong as black tea, but more bitter than green with a slightly sweet aftertaste...I like it). The polyphenol in green tea (which is the anti-oxidizing ingredient) is in a much greater quantity in oolong...which is why it works apparently. But there's nothing unnatural or dangerous in it...in fact the diuretic effect that I find upon drinking other teas is lessened with this tea. It just gives me a sustained "awake" feeling and no nasty side effects. I think I love it!

Some info (NOT commercial) about oolong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oolong

In a day it's evened out my sleeping problems. I made myself get up early yesterday to drink it. I stayed up (& active) all day & last night I went to bed at a decent hour...& today I'm up at a normal time liker the rest of the world & feeling fine. No sleeping pills, no coffee. :-)

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

I thought you were talking about diet pills labelled as metabolism boosters. (Which is how most diet pills are labelled, I suppose.) They're a lot trickier than plain tea as they generally contain quite a few different things, some of which tend to be potentially harmful.

Even hoodia, though used for ages and ages without harm, shouldn't be consumed randomly. I used it and found that against all expectations it made me quite dizzy. My speculation now that I'm off it is that it might have lowered my already very low blood pressure a smidge, which I can't afford. I function just right when my bp is normal (normal for me) but if it drops at all it is VERY low...and that's *too* low. So I can't screw around with any blood pressure-lowering herbs, of which there are quite a few. I don't know if hoodia IS one but there is no doubt that I was dizzy while I was on it, especially if I bent or crouched. So that's just my guess.

Anyway, tea is not a problem. :) Seriously, I thought you meant pills, which while not as evil as people automatically say, CAN pose a few problems, especially if you don't know what all the contents are.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Oh man...I steer clear of diet pills. They seem like a really terrible idea. Remember Phen Fen? That stuff killed a LOT of folks.

That new Alli stuff is all the rage. I guess people are snatching it off the shelves. Our Walgreen's sells it & they keep running out. I would NEVER use it...right on the website they warn you about the nasty side effects which include bad gas & anal "leakage"...how's THAT for nasty? They warn you to wear dark pants & bring a change of clothes to work, until you see how the drug affects you. Oh, noooo thankya. I think I'd rather be fat!

[shvetufae.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad about the garage door. Hi, Kiba!

*searches for the kitty playing hide-and-seek* Found ya!

I still need to photocopy your recipes. I haven't forgotten, I swear!. :)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

I'm glad about the new door too. :-) Aside from being MUCH nicer to look at, this one works & we are in no danger of smashed toes anymore.

No hurry with the recipes...get to it when you can. :-)

[indigos-angel.livejournal.com]

Awwwww!!!! Poor Kumo!

He looks as if he's using the mat as a "mommy" to cuddle under. I guess if he had a rough upbringing, that would explain why he has the need to hide things.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

*wonders what catnip actually does to cats. It's kind of rather interesting to see how they get stoned and so quickly :)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

You could be right about Kumo...though he seems much better at doing "cat things" than my other cat Dinah, who was orphaned at the age of three days & is truly clueless about being a cat.

I think he just spent a LOT of time fending for himself & now he's living up the good life...he just can't help hiding his food (and himself) out of habit. He always comes running when I call him though, so he's a very trusting guy. :-)

Hmm. I'm not sure WHAT catnip does to cats. I know it has digestive benefits when they eat it fresh...

It's your mominlaw checking in!

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I finally got around to checking out your blog. It has been a while, and I see you have been really busy. I am green with envy over your new garage door but my skin tone should return to normal as I pick up your dadinlaw at the airport this very Sat. and he PROMISES the building will begin. We are awash with retaining walls and foundations and ... and no building! This is because Jerry insists he must do atleast part of the work himself. As his father did. And grandfather did. And, surprise, he is going to have Greg and his sibs down to nail something, plus Eric and Char too. So that five generations will have worked on this lovely space in the redwood forest. A nice sentiment but I want my damn garage! Meanwhile, at least I have a pix of yours. Love, Bonnie PS I seem to have written a novel here. Is there "reply etiquette"?

Re: It's your mominlaw checking in!

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Hi Bonnie! Glad you found me. :-)

The old door was a mess & had to go. Aside from being ugly, it was dangerous (& broken!). Who still has a wooden garage door these days anyway? That thing weighed a ton.

We're looking forward to visiting! I can't wait to finally see Boulder Creek...it sounds so lovely.

*Is there "reply etiquette"? *
Pfft! Don't be silly. :-) We regularly write tomes in eachother's journals.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

It seems to be a strange phenomenon among cats. He did this to himself. If fact, that's one of his favorite ways of playing with that toy. XD

lol, you know what's truly strange is I actually had a dream with Kiba in it the other night... XD

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Kitty!! That's so cute! I love those "mouse on a track" toys...cleverest thing ever. Kumo has one too. He just bats it back & forth from the outside though (he's not as inventive in that aren as Pippin).

Aww! Kiba is invading the subconscious of people across the country. :-) I'm such a nerd about my dog. If I was just a ~tad~ goofier he'd have his own LJ.

Hey! I am no longer anonymous

[bonnietognetti.livejournal.com]

Look at me Andrea!!!! Whoo-whee! I did what you said and now I am no longer anonymous with no pix. I feel so freakin' grown up! I used Bart's pix so you could see Kiba's cousin. That Kiba is a handsome dog, too. We are just one big handsome dog family.

Re: Hey! I am no longer anonymous

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Yay! Good for you! :-) It is MUCH easier to let people know what's going on in your life with a journal. Plus, it's fun! Once you figure out how to use all the features it's a piece of cake (look at me; I'm a technological Luddite & I manage to put together something pretty & coherent a few times a week).

Re: Hey! I am no longer anonymous

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

Congratulations and welcome to the mayhem! Andrea wooed me over several months ago. I wasn't even sure what a livejournal *was*, and now I'm telling the whole world about redecorating my new house. It's actually a great way to keep in touch with friends far away without having to keep retyping the same email over and over.