CT scan or CAT scan?!?

   My doctor is running 65+ min behind, not that I'm counting.l, and it's pissing me off. This is exactly what cell phones are for.

   The good news is I'm back in the tiny room now, and my CT scan shows that there's a kitty face inside my skull. I suspected that all along... Do you see it?? I can't not see it.

   I'm here to find out if I can continue scuba diving and stop getting horrible ear infections all the time. He's going to tell me I need surgery, which is no bueno...

Curiosity killed the what?!

   Kismet is definitely the picture of a curious sub-three-year-old kitty. If I light a candle, she absolutely won't leave it alone. And well she looks pretty in the soft glow, she's risking her fur going up in flames.

Here she's risking being shipped across the country. She won't get out of the box.

Here she's risking getting shut in the dryer, to chase the "dryer bunnies" that Sean gave me for my birthday.

Here she's stealing my seat, and risking being sat upon, or smothered by that fluffy down blanket.

Troublemaker!

Sunday Funday

   I woke up early-ish this morning and went for a 7 mile run, bringing my 2+ year grand total to 601.1 miles. I hit the 500 mile mark back on November 29 in Sonoma, California, so I've really increased my mileage per week since then! Going to try to keep it up as long as I can. Loving this cold, snowy weather, and of course the Sheebs love it too.

   Kismet, on the other hand, prefers to remain warm and cozy on my head. She is the weirdest/awesomeness cat ever.

   Later I met up with Polly and we drove downtown to pick up Michele & Ted, so we could all enjoy brunch together before they flew back to Columbus. We started out at eggtc. and had a huge meal, and then had dessert and coffee at Classic Cup on the plaza. It was so fun to catch up with them since I hadn't seen them since I visited Columbus in July for our reunion. Of course, this time was slightly less exciting since it didn't involve a ride in a classic Porsche. ;)

   Then I rounded out the day with more Olympics… What a surprise. Women's snowboard cross was on, and as expected it was full of mayhem and surprises.

   I can't wait to get out there and ride again!!!!!!! One of these days I might have to consider taking another lesson and trying to learn to do some jumps… get out there and show these whippersnappers how it's done.

Golden girl / Tetris

   You know it's cold outside when the dogs wanna sleep on my feet and the kitty wants to sleep on my lap! The couch is a bizarrely-furry game of Tetris lately.

Mer-Cat

   I stopped at Petco today to stock up on canned kitty food. When I get home and looked at my receipt, I noticed that all of the Merrick brand was listed as "Mer-cat". So of course I had to draw it:

Animal Olympics

   Taylor gold medalled in inverted stiff-legged couch surfing:

   Kismet is thinking of becoming a diver. Maybe. Maybe not. But perhaps. She's not sure really. Definitely curious though.

   For sure she's top of the podium for beauty and sweetness, in her extra-long winter-fur finery:

   Aki keeps bringing me the little plush moose that Sawako brought. It's her favorite.

   When I take it away and tease her, she makes it known that she is tops in the "awful demon face" race!

   Who will win the gold for maximum hibernation? It's going to be a close race... perhaps a four-way tie between us!

Snow Cat

   Sketch for David B's thank you card (he procured the Gold Passes for us on our recent ski trip). This is his kitty, Sosa, and I call it "Snow Cat". I'm really excited for him to get it. He loved the card I drew for him last time with Sammy, the dog he hoped to get someday. But he actually has Sosa already! It was such a bummer he was unexpectedly unable to join us on this trip. Here's hoping my body is back to 100% and ready to shred up a storm next season!

Koo-Koo for Krazy Kismet!

   Lacey (Allyson's cat) thoughtfully sent some gifts for lil' Kismet. Kismet likes toys. Especially when they make intriguing noises like squeaking or crackling, move around, or have animal parts like feathers. So Lacey pretty much chose the best stuff ever. Judging from Kismet's reaction to the crackle tunnel, I may have my very own Maru!

   But Kismet isn't the only one who's koo-koo around here... Of course, Aki wasn't able to resist the squeaking mouse. Pretty sure she thinks it's a real, live mouse (the crazed, toothy smile gives it away), so I'll have to guard it carefully!

Fierce.

   Kismet's assault of Aki occurred days ago, and was seeming like a distant memory... until last night, when poor Aki's face suddenly swelled up like she had the mumps. I knew immediately that this was a very bad sign: that her wounds had become infected and that she needed treatment very quickly. Since I had some antibiotic tablets and ointment on hand, I opted to watch her throughout the night and try to avoid the emergency vet. She slept next to me, and I had her in to see Dr. Ebeling as soon as Red Bridge Animal Clinic opened its doors.

   Dr. Ebeling put her on more of the same antibiotic that I had used at home, plus a painkiller/anti-inflammatory combo. His biggest concern was that her cheek, which had an abscess from the bite wounds, appeared to be on the verge of rupturing, and she may soon need to be sedated so it could be surgically drained. And then he said, "She needs to wear an E-collar." This is short for Elizabethan collar, but not the fancy ones like royalty wears. He meant a cone. And I knew Aki was not going to like that idea one bit. 

"Portrait of a Woman" (1628) by Michiel Jansz van Miereveldt

   She actually liked it even less than I expected, as it took THREE of us plus a muzzle many, many, tries before we could get the cone over the head of the fiercely-struggling twenty-one pound dog. It's times like this that I can actually believe the Shiba's heritage as a bear-hunter. (Although clearly not a tiger-hunter, as she was in this whole predicament from a feisty ten-pound housecat.)

   Once the cone was on, she settled down for the ride home, no harm done. I dropped her off to be supervised by Diane & Lindsey and headed to work. Before I even arrived at work, I had received a text from Diane that the cone was off. Aki laid on her back and plucked it right off with her front feet. (Someone remind me why I opted for a smart breed over a nice, sweet, stupid dog?)

   When I got home, Diane and Lindsey had done a great job of keeping Aki calm, and I was able to replace the collar myself with little struggle from the patient, who seemed to have resigned herself to the idea that it was for her own good. In fact, she wore it well… though she was clearly not going to take any mocking from her housemates. 

It was hard at first for her to navigate with the cone.

"What's going on out there?"

 She looked quite pathetic... 

   That is, until she discovered that a cone is a handy tool for scooping up fresh poop, and she could stand there and dine right out of the cone! What a wonderful and novel idea!!!

(Think you could at least be a dear and lick the cone clean?

   And to commemorate this whole event, and more specifically, Kismet's fighting spirit, I purchased my very first ねつけ (netsuke) from the Nelson-Atkins Museum: a fierce tiger!

I think it looks just like her!

Okay, maybe more like this one: