Potatoes in the Mist

I'm still plugging away with swimming and yoga, because exercise is my Prozac, but much of the time I am really, really lazy and tired...did you know being pregnant (first and third trimester, anyway) is like having mono? I had deja vu and realized I was flashing back to that time. I think my body is transferring iron to E now and that's why I'm so tired. The doctor said it was normal. I think it's the equivalent of giving blood 3-4 times or something. I finished knitting a white sock with red hearts on it, which I will try to photograph when the laziness fades (although I might just put up a pic of the second sock, when I'm done with that! Because the second sock always comes out better). I met the most affectionate cat in the world. Correction: I met her a while ago, but she lived in a watch repair shop where you had to be buzzed in *and* out. It creeped me out that the watch repairman could keep you there against your will (not that he did, he seems nice enough)....

Morris is my new cat friend. He has not replaced Rainer; he is just supplementing him. (The deal with Rainer is, he lives in Brooklyn, which is a bit of a pain to get to. We have to take a special train to get there; it's too far to walk. And the last two times we tried to go, the train wasn't working. So Fate seems aligned against us.) Morris lives in Manhattan, at a vitamin/health food store. I saw him once before, munching out back from his silver bowl. I patted him then and he wagged his tail, but he was mostly involved with his food. Tonight he was in a special box near the front of the store, where he could observe everyone coming and going. I said, "Hi, Morris," and patted him repeatedly. He likes being patted with the grain, not against. When I tried the latter, he looked askance at my hand, so I went back to regular-style patting. His tail thumped up and down against the floor of the box. I call him Morris because he looks like Morris the Cat from the old com...

This will be a short, somewhat incoherent post b/c I'm tired, but I wanted to jot a couple of things down... 1) Went to visit Rainer (I saw him a few times recently but didn't blog about it, because while it was fun to see him, nothing unusual happened). Today he was kind of jumpy and actually nipped my hand when I was talking to DG. It may have been a bid for my full attention...but I was annoyed! He acted like he didn't do anything wrong, and stayed on my lap. I got up shortly thereafter because my legs were asleep, and honestly...I was a little mad! Then he prowled around the bookstore, lay down so I could rub his belly, and got on my lap again. He acted like nothing had happened - purring, rubbing his head against my sleeve, etc. But still....why did he nip me? It wasn't hard enough to break the skin, or leave a mark, or even hurt really...but it was bad! Now I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship. I should've said, "No, Rainer. BAD!" 2) On the...

So here are some highlights or just noteworthy events from the holidays, '07: Sunday. D and I took Amtrak to get to Boston, and the ride was uneventful. However, the drive home from the Alewife T station was not. Mom has a penchant for getting lost on the way home (and blaming me for it!) So I micromanaged her driving from then on. She also collided with a snowbank and started heading to Providence at one point (though I averted that disaster). The high speed on the highway also made me nauseous. So, let's just say - I'm happy not to have to drive in New York! I'm a walking kind of gal. Mom told us a story about my aunt (on my father's side) and her cat. One night Mom went to check on my aunt, who is 91, and found her anxious about her cat, Sophia. Aunt: I'm going to stay up with Sophia. She's having a problem with her leg and she can hardly walk. [Sophia strolls by, without effort.] Mom: She looks fine to me. [Sophia sprints up the stairs.] Mom: I think yo...

If you live in Seattle, can you please adopt Cornelius ? Thank you. Doesn't he look dapper in his bow tie? Today D and I had lunch, and a couple of women at a nearby table offered us their bottle of wine. They couldn't finish it. We had to refuse, seeing as I'm preggers and all, and D is taking some meds for his hands (sometimes they tingle), but we ended up chatting with them. I asked them where they were from and resisted the urge to add, "Texas?" in case they weren't. Then they said, "Dallas." Am I smart or what? ;) I could tell because of the accent and it's a particular brand of friendliness. After a while of being too nauseous to knit, I picked up my needles again to finish a scarf for a family friend. It will take me a few days to complete, but I'm over the hump, so to speak. I met a new cat friend. She is very close to the pool where I swim. She lives in a deli. Her name is Nina. Her legs are a little too long for her body (I suspect ...

A couple of things happened tonight: 1) I patted a black cat who lives in a shop near my apartment. He's not as outgoing as Rainer, but he rubbed his head against my knee and seemed to enjoy the contact. Another cat was nearby and I patted him, too, but when I started patting the black cat, the other cat hissed angrily and went away. "He gets jealous really easily," the owner explained. 2) We ate in an outdoor garden (at a restaurant). Years ago we saw someone taking a shower in one of the apartments above the restaurant. Tonight there was another visible shower-taker; it was a guy, judging from the arms and shoulders and vigorous soaping movements. The window was fogged up, but it was clear enough to see his shape. You'd think they'd catch on that there's a courtyard of onlookers below!

So I visited Rainer today. His new thing is to tilt his head back and stare at me till I pat him on the head, at which point he closes his eyes and he looks like the very picture of bliss ;) Some woman smiled when she saw him in my lap and said, "He looks just like my cat...minus twenty pounds." Now, Rainer is a sweetheart, but he is not a slender cat. I can't help wondering what Rainer Plus looks like ;) On the other end of the spectrum, we saw a tiny chihuahua on the sidewalk with its owner. A ring of people had gathered around it. It was strangely mesmerizing; you couldn't take your eyes off it. It was three weeks old. And I may have a new cat friend soon. He lives in a shop on my street, but it's unfortunately always closed when I pass by (at night). The door is glass, though, so I can see him. Once he was sitting right there, so I said hello. He got excited and pawed at the door, and also rubbed his face against it. It's funny how some cats love you, and ...

So tonight, we went to Rainer-land. But first, we stopped at Fornino for some yummy, thin-crust pizza. I highly recommend them if you live in NYC. They have a great variety of pies, a cheerful staff, and an impressive selection of desserts. Even better, they don't play any songs after 1989. The Doobie Brothers, the Bee Gees, early Michael Jackson, and De Barge all made an appearance. The waitress recommended the tartufo, which pretty much knocked our socks off. (We put them back on before we left.) It's hard to describe, but it was kind of slices of chocolate ice cream with an accent of vanilla ice cream, and it had a crisp-but-not-hard chocolate coating. The plate was also dotted with whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder. Rainer was elated to see me...not to brag or anything ;) He was a kneading maniac, moving from my legs to my hipbones and stomach. I think he has very sound judgment -- he relaxes when the music is soft and mellow, and doesn't like it when songs ...

So I met a cat as friendly as Rainer today. She looked different, with butterscotch fur, very fluffy, and topaz-colored eyes, but she started kneading me right away. On my bare leg. I saw what Liz meant -- it hurts! So I have to assume that Rainer's claws are clipped, as Kitkat suggested, or else he is very talented ;) Remember the fruit man who calls me ma'am? I can't hold it against him, for he was kind enough to hold my library books as I looked through my wallet to pay for my peaches. I was about to put the books down on a crate, but he scooped them up!

Tonight D and I visited Rainer. He was quite glad to see me, and rubbed his head across the front of my jean jacket. He also looked at my hair as if he might want to eat it. He didn't, but some dogs actually do that (especially pugs). He stayed on my lap so long, snoring gently, that my legs fell completely asleep and I had to grab onto D's hand to get up. At the bookstore, D purchased Paddington on Top, a non-sexual book about Paddington Bear. He read me bits on the way home. I didn't know Paddington was from "darkest Peru," did you? Near our apartment, we saw a guy wearing a fluffy red felt hat with dice markings. It was probably inspired by Mystery; he recommends wearing unusual hats as a way to stand out. But if everyone takes his advice, the hats will become the norm, and presumably no longer effective.

So D and I saw Shoot 'Em Up tonight. It was fairly violent, as the name would imply. But it was a cartoonish sort of violence that was hard to take seriously. Clive Owen was good, and his role may even cause a surge in carrot sales. (You'll have to see it to find out why.) It was interesting seeing Paul Giamatti as a villain. He doesn't really have the looks for it, with his round face and owlish glasses, but he pulled it off fairly well, aside from a certain stagy quality when he spoke. I would give it a B or B+ -- it was more inventive and interesting than most action movies, but it did have a very rough edge. After the movie, we visited Rainer. I think the heat was too much for him. He kneaded my leg for a while, but didn't linger in my lap, preferring to lie on the cool floor instead. I rubbed his belly, which he seemed to enjoy. I also patted Hayes, who definitely has less personality but is a nice cat anyway. DG pointed out that Hayes has the same amount of person...

It struck me that Rainer has quite a personality. On each visit, he exhibits some new quirk. This way, I can blog about him over and over again ;) Also, it keeps things interesting. When I got to the bookstore tonight, he was prowling around instead of resting. He registered my presence, but instead of getting in my lap right away, he got up close and personal with some woman's foot. "I have too many cats on my feet," she laughed; I guess she was a cat owner? Then he meandered over to the man standing next to her, and really gave in to full-fledged foot ecstasy. He wound around the guy's ankles and made lapping motions at his feet. Whether he actually licked them or not, I don't know. Then he got into my lap. D observed that Rainer likes all my attention. When I talk to others, he gets restless. So I sang to him, and patted him, and he became relaxed and content.

So tonight we ate at one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants. The experience was somewhat marred by crack! I'll explain. A woman was sitting with her back to me. She wore an extremely loose white belt, more for decoration than anything else. Between the belt, and above her waistband, was CRACK. Like an inch of it. I don't want to see that while I'm eating. It's true, she was reasonably attractive. This was not a hairy, fleshy plumber's ass. But still. Cover your crack! Moving on. D had some MRIs done today to monitor his back. He herniated a disc a while ago. A little-known fact: you get a gift with your MRI. The gift of socks. They are very snazzy and have little treads on the bottom. Walking through Central Park after dinner, I spotted a small gray-and-white cat lurking among the rocks. I headed toward it but it ran away. I hope it's okay and that it knows how to forage for itself. It looked so small and vulnerable. But D assured me that the cat did not loo...

So we visited Rainer tonight. This visit was somewhat unusual because two people joined me, a couple. The girl was enchanted by the way Rainer kneaded my leg. Then the guy came closer and Rainer's whole body stiffened. He made a huffing sound and I thought: uh-oh . But then I massaged Rainer's side and face and he purred and I thought everything would be okay. Then the guy stuck his hand into Rainer's face and Rainer took a quick swipe with his claws in the guy's direction. He didn't make contact, but the clear message was: back off. I gently suggested that the guy shouldn't approach Rainer from the front, but rather from the side. Looking back, though, I'm not sure it would have made a difference, because all the relaxation had drained from Rainer's body. He was definitely on guard. So then the guy stuck his hand in Rainer's face again and Rainer jumped off my lap and hid behind a chair. I couldn't get him to come out again. His green eyes had ...

So tonight I communed with Rainer at his home. He climbed into my lap and kneaded my thigh for about 10 minutes. Sometimes he lost traction, but he just hopped back on. He gets into a bit of a trance when he does that; it's fun to watch. When he stopped kneading and curled up in my lap, I took one sandal off and put it to the side. It's more comfortable to sit cross-legged without shoes. However, I never got around to taking the other one off. When I had to go, I stood up and he made his way to the sandal and curled up with it. He cleverly arranged it so his paw was holding it down and it was hard for me to get it back. I wondered if he was snuggling with it because: 1) it's mine and he likes me :D or 2) he didn't want me to go. I guess it could be both. Cat psychology is fascinating to me ;)

So tonight my relationship with Rainer took on a whole new dimension. He was sprawled peacefully in my lap when the bookstore cashier came over with a purple brush in his hand. "Hey there, how do you feel about brushing?" he asked. (It is an eccentric but charming bookstore.) "Does he like it?" I asked. "Depends on who he's with." So I accepted the brush and ran it through his fur, very gently. He seemed to really enjoy it. Later, when he climbed off my lap, he lay down on the floor next to me and I brushed his belly. He stretched out his front legs with pleasure. I also wanted to mention my neti pot. Inspired by Liz , I ordered one from Amazon a while ago, along with some packets of saline soution. At first I was dumping the salt into the water and not stirring. This really burns up your nose. Now I stir the salt and it works much better. I've overcome that feeling of "This is someplace I shouldn't be rinsing," and I've found it...

So D and I went to a vegan shoe shop tonight. He'd been wanting to visit them for a while. Ironically, I ended up liking it better than he did...but not for the shoes. For the cats. There were four of them! Edith. She was the first one I patted. She was gray and soft and sprawled on the counter next to the cash register. I patted her and started saying, "Good Edith, good cat," and her tail wagged back and forth like Rainer's does. Then she opened her mouth and made a mewing sound...twice. I don't know cats well enough to know if it was a mew of pleasure or discomfort, so I went away. I might pat her in the future, though. Emma. Emma was nestled in a cubbyhole. She came out eventually and stared at me in a slightly unfocused way. I guess she wasn't sure what to make of me. She had pretty eyes and nice posture, though. Marlo. Marlo was my favorite. (Initially, I thought he was probably a girl, like Marlo Thomas. But later the employee referred to Marlo and Harry...

I saw some cute animals today and yesterday, so I thought I'd share them with you. I was walking back from Pilates yesterday when I passed a gay porn magazine store. This is not uncommon for the Village. However, I saw something unusual: a stuffed animal tossed carelessly in front of the magazines, just behind the front windows. It's a very small space. Then I saw its mouth and realized it was a real cat! It was sound asleep, but its features were unmistakable. Then two older ladies approached and said, "It looks just like mine! I have a calico." "I thought it was a stuffed animal at first," I told them. "No, it's breathing!" And we saw its belly move, and it rolled over a little bit. It must have been a funny sight, three women (two over sixty) gazing rapturously at a gay porn magazine display ;) The cat was adorable but probably not visible to the casual observer. I also saw a pug with my name. I've encountered her before; she travels in ...

So we visited Rainer in Brooklyn tonight, with DG. Rainer loves me :) He was sitting in the children's section tonight, wedged into a small child's chair. His bum was hanging out. But he seemed to like it. But when he saw me, he wiggled his way out of the chair and sat on my lap. His tail wagged back and forth furiously. There is nothing cozier than a cat curled up on your lap, even if he occasionally bites his own fur. DG said he was trying to get the knots out. I was tempted to curl up on the floor with Rainer and sleep, but it was too hard to lie down since he was in my lap ;) When we left, I uncurled one leg and then the other. Instead of moving, he stayed in the center, sitting on my skirt. I had to kind of hobble up like an old woman. He is such a good cat. Another notable thing about the evening: at the restaurant, before Rainer, a girl came up to me and asked how long the wait was. She thought I worked there. Then, a girl at Rainer's bookstore asked me, "Do you...

Tonight D and I were eating outdoors and this beautiful, snow-white cat appeared out of nowhere, as if by magic. He came over and hung out near our table. I patted him and he stayed there quite a while. The waiter did a double-take and said, "Where did that cat come from?" and then he said, "You can tell he's a city cat; he's not moving for anyone." The waiter had to walk around him to fill our glasses. Then the waiter came back and announced that the cat was from the pet food store next door, "so if he's begging for food, it's an act!" The cat sparked more conversation as a flamboyant group arrived and its ringleader yelled, "He's from the pet food store next door! He owns 7th Street! He's eighteen years old! He goes up and down the street and eats at all the restaurants. He's very well-fed." Eventually the cat got bored with me and walked home. I followed it and the owner told me, "His name is Pretty Boy, Mayor ...