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!

Olympics highs & lows

   The best thing about the Olympics is that I've spent a lot of quality time at home on the couch with my pets over the last couple of weeks.

   The worst thing about the Olympics is the repeated and gratuitous use of the words "twizzle" and "Ligety".

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.

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!

Quite a team

   I never would have believed this, had I not seen it myself… I heard Kismet coming up through the door from the basement. I turned to see Aki sitting just outside the door. Kismet was carrying a live mouse in her mouth and just as she came through the door, she released it, Aki pounced on it and chomped it (almost) to death in one fell swoop.

   Horrified by what I had just witnessed, I ran to the mouse's rescue and scooped it up in an old towel that was nearby, used to wipe the dogs feet when they come in from the snow. I could tell the mouse was not much longer for this world... But at least it wouldn't be eaten by these two. These two who are now, apparently, partners in crimes against smaller mammals.

   With this new reality, I can only imagine how successful they will be as a team. Each has already caught their fair share of wildlife single-handedly. Lord help the little animals!

Double entendre

   Question: Someone asked me if, because my snowboard bag is bigger than me, it doubles as a sleeping bag when I arrive at my destination. Answer: if I had thought of that, I could have saved some major bucks on a condo!!! No indoor plumbing in the bag, though.

   However, it will be a moot point if I'm disallowed from departing...

Bump in the night

   It has been a very exciting Saturday night… I heard a bump upstairs, went to investigate, and found the kitty scrambling around the bathroom floor. 

   I picked up the trashcan and suddenly, a mousie jumped out from behind it and ran all the way up my arm almost to my shoulder before I could shake it off. I'm not afraid of mice, but it was so sudden and unexpected it made me let out a little scream that surprised even myself. It also drew a crowd:

   Kismet caught him, but the Shibas would have gladly dispatched of him!  Proof that this breed is as catlike as you've heard.

   I took these few photos to capture my mighty hunters, put the mousy in a trashcan, and took him a mile away from the house to release him back into the wild. I couldn't bring myself to kill a mouse, they're too cute. And so are the photos. Squeak!

Chow hounds

#icanteatundertheseconditions

   But I have to say, after the meal was over, it was pretty sweet the way Taylor wanted to snuggle with me… my furry BFF. I took him to the vet tonight to check his thyroid levels, and not only did they look good, but my boy has lost 2 pounds this month! I'm ecstatic that we have found the source of his problem and he is on his way to being lean and mean again. Well, lean anyway.  This boy isn't capable of being mean!

This happened.

   The aftermath of Kismet's hug attack. True story.

Lionhearted Bruce

   I saw this great Scottish terrier logo in a magazine, and sent it to Madeline and Diane.

   Based on recent events, Diane said that she thought Bruce would prefer to have a possum in his mouth then keys. Bruce cornered a possum in their backyard recently, and he received some scratches on his nose So of course I had to draw this…

#inktober Sleep Zombies

Anyone else never get a full night's sleep? Do your pets stay up with you?

Missing me already 8/31

"Whatcha doin' with those suitcases?"
   Poor pets. I always pull my stuff together but wait til the last minute to pull them out because they all get so upset and sulky. Perhaps the one part of traveling that I really don't like. :(
   But I am...

   Although having had only 2 hours of sleep, rushing to the airport, and now trying not to panic that I'm going to miss my flight, I'm more in need of a nap than an adventure...

Beggar 8/27

   This is what it's like to eat dinner at my house. Kismet often makes it feel like Gypsy is still here. :)

Irony. I haz it.

   It usually takes me 1.5 hours to get ready in the morning. That's getting showered, dressed, hair & makeup, snuggling with Kizzy (as she rides around on my neck), feeding the dogs, and playing with them a bit.
   However, on those all-too-common days when my alarm has gone off for an hour and fifteen minutes before I've heard it once, somehow I am able to contract 90 minutes into 30, and dash to the bus stop just in time. A good illustration of how much I like riding, eh? If I went any faster, I'd be reversing time and scientists would be studying me.
   Another weird time thing: when I drive to work, I never get there as fast as I wish I could, and when I ride, it always goes too fast. That's the difference between swearing at traffic, and chilling out.
In other ironic news, twice this week my name has been printed as Rarely, which doesn't happen infrequently.

Hot dog + Hot lemonade

   Sawako came over last night. She brought presents for the dogs & kitty, homemade croissants for us, and a giant cup of homemade Japanese hot lemonade for me! YUM!
   While we were sitting at the dining room table, eating and talking, all of a sudden Sawako felt something on her leg. She looked down to see this: The Hungriest Dog in the World strikes again!

"PSST! SAWAKO! Don't tell Jen, but I'm very hungry.
Please pass some food down to me."

   Sawako was kind enough to overlook Taylor's rudeness, and even kinder to share her recipe with me—in two languages!

ginger from Target; lemon juice from Whole Paycheck Foods

AU catch up: Mirrors & Metal

   Check one of the coolest pieces of artwork I've donated for sure: a wooden mirror frame with my logo in it; the annual Machine Head art work day; and the main event itself!

Annual Machine Head Day

   Today Dick once again opened his fantastic metal shop up to the motley crew of volunteers to make cat & dog artwork for the annual Art Unleashed auction. As you can see, Dick, Robert, Jana, Connie, Randy, Jason, Amber, Ricky, Matt, Jared—even Aki, Taylor & their new pal Lambert!—and I, had a blast.
   We made about 40-50 pieces of metal art for donation, and this year we got extra creative. Our best collection yet! Sincere thanks to Dick Jobe for his generosity!

"You're not thinking of putting US to WORK, are you?!"

Lutes family photo

Connie & her adorable grandson

Whoa. Ricky is TALL. And I am SHORT.

Dick & Matt get down to business

Cutting begins

A tribute to my dear Gypsy

Ricky prepares the rods for garden stakes

Sandblasting

Amber's in the grind

Artwork, and the dog who inspired it

The all-important lunch order: Jimmy John's this year

Artwork piling up

Tons of yard art

Artwork almost taller than me!

Frame me up

Sitting down on the job

Look at us—we're ART!