Cats trumped Dogs

We are cat parents now. We got our two cats during a PetSmart window-shopping trip back on the first Saturday in Feburary. We like to take the girls down every two weeks or so to see the animals. We figured it was a cheap way to get some enjoyment of pets before we were ready to commit to them ourselves. In January we realized we were getting a decent tax return and decided the time was right! We'd had our eyes on a pair of brothers that had been at the store for a couple of weeks: 8 months old, boys, and shorthairs.

We kept the names they came home with. One is black and is named Pepper. The other is a striped tabby with white chest and paws and is name Piper.

We brought the cats home on February 2nd along with a shopping cart full of accessories. The first couple of weeks were an adjustment for everyone. The cats hid out in the 2nd bathroom during most of the day. We had to work with the girls to be calm and quiet around our cats. In the evenings they would come out to explore. We would lock them in at night to protect the furniture.

I would say they are now completely adjusted. And mischevious! They are always tearing around the house at night with their claws catching on the carpet. They are pretty comfortable around the girls, except for Avery. We leave them out at night now, and they like to sleep at the foot of our's and Eden's beds.

Piper is affectionate but a bit nervous. He has figured out how to wiggle between all the storage containers under our bed to an open space at the middle near the headboard. He loves to follow us into the bathroom for some reason.

Pepper is more independent. He's not one to rub up against you or sit still for petting. But he also doesn't run off as much as Piper. Pepper seems to take a certain satisfaction in sneaking up on and frightening Piper. And Piper always reacts.

One of their favorite activities is to sit at an open window or the sliding glass door (behind screens of course) and watch "bird and squirrel TV". We have a big stand of bamboo near our apartment where dozens of birds roost every night. It's usually pretty loud out there around sunset. I wish I could understand what they were thinking as they watch all the birds winging in to roost.

I'm guessing there are dog people that are wondering why we would go with cats. In truth, Steph is more of a dog person and I am more of a cat person. But we both agreed that cats would be best for our current situation. We have a 3 bed, 2 bath apartment with only a small patio. Indoor dogs aren't our thing, and we have no yard. Also, with the ticks in our area, outdoor animals aren't much of an option. Plus, neither one of us wants to get up at night or go outside during the winter to take the dogs out to use the restroom. I can handle scooping the catbox for five minutes each day, especially because I can do it when I have time. So, wether you agree or not, cats were the best choice for us!

It all started with a Frosted Lime

The last week of February I was in San Diego for a business trip. The business of the trip took less time than originally thought, so we were able to rearrange our schedule to allow for a day trip up to LA. The idea of heading into LA started with my coworker’s desire for a Frosted Lime. Frosted Limes are milkshakes made at the Twoheys diner in Pasadena and are basically like a Key Lime Pie Shake. The promise of a Frosted Lime was enough to convince the three of us to go, though the destinations quickly multiplied from there. The day’s activities centered around three or four themes: Craftsman Architecture, sugary drinks, and all things Asian… and Disneyland.

The Day in Review:

10:30 AM – We left our hotel in San Diego: took the 5 up from San Diego up to LA

12:30 PM – Stopped for Boba (bubble tea) and Asian pastries at Beard Papas in Pasadena

1:15 PM - Stopped in South Pasadena at Galco’s Soda Stop

1:30 PM - Drove by my coworkers parent’s house and drove by the Rose Bowl stadium

2:00 PM - Checked out some of the nicer Pasadena neighborhoods

2:45 PM - Toured the Gamble House in Pasadena. This is a Craftsman style home designed by Green & Green for the Gamble’s (of Proctor and Gamble). This home was also the home of Doc Brown in the movie Back to the Future.

4:30 PM - Drove through the nearby neighborhoods to see some other Green & Green Craftsman style homes

4:45 PM - Drove through the neighborhood where other scenes from Back to the Future were filmed. We saw Biff’s house, the tree George McFly was spying from, and Lorraine’s house.

5:00 PM - Stopped at Twoheys (2EES) Diner for a Frosted Lime and dinner. Ate french fries dipped in gravy for the first time. It wasn’t spectacular.

6:00 PM – Went to Mr. Wong’s Foot Clinic for an hour-long Asian foot soak (in tea water)/massage. $20!! This place was one of my favorite stops. We got a lot of good laughs. The lady who was doing my foot massage pulled my feet out of the tea soak and exclaimed in Chinese to her coworkers how big my feet were. Fortunately I didn’t have to pay a surcharge for bigger feet. My coworker Craig was clearly enjoying himself. At one point he started groaning…

CRAIG: “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
MASSEUSE: “Are you okay?”
CRAIG: “Oh yeah, this feels great.”
MASSEUSE: “Thank you.”


7:15 PM - Picked up another Asian pastry from Beard Papas

8:00 PM - Drove to Anaheim and stopped at Downtown Disney. World of Disney store. Grand Californian hotel for more Craftsman Architecture. Lego store

9:00 PM - Back down the 5 to San Diego

10:45 PM – Arrived back at our hotel

Discriminating (against my) palette

I consider myself to have a pretty accommodating palate. I will eat just about anything and have honestly enjoyed it. Some would say I’m not discriminating enough in my taste. To set the record straight I’ve enumerated some things that I absolutely won’t eat unless the life of my wife or children depended on it and some things I would eat only if I needed to. I’ve also listed some of the food I’ve eaten that I really enjoyed just to show that I’m not a hamburger and pizza kind of guy.


Things I won’t eat:

Brussel Sprouts
Braunschwager
Liverwurst
Kimchee
Insects
Dog (I’ve actually had this twice before but not because I wanted to)
Tongue, heart, intestines, pancreas, lung, liver, or any other vital organ of any animal
Pigs Feet – seriously, you know where they’ve been
Brains
Haggis
Crawdads
Refried Beans – nothing good has ever come from eating refried beans
Sautéed Curdled Blood


Thing’s I will eat (and have eaten), even though I would prefer not to, in order to save a friendship, impress my boss, or make my wife happy:

Escargot
Caviar
Eel
Snake
Hollandaise sauce
Hot peppers
Black Licorice


Thing’s I have eaten and, if they weren’t so expensive, I’d eat more regularly:

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
Seared Ahi Tuna
Jumbo Prawns with Cocktail Sauce
Chicken Marsala
Lobster Ravioli
Veal Risotto
Beef Burginion (sp?)