OCD

Obsessive cat disorder, I mean.

And before I go any further, you've probably noticed that today's pointless photo is not of a cat.

That's because I was too lazy to take one.

Anyway. OCD. I've decided that Max has it. It's occurred to me that if you were watching a human behave the way Max often does you'd wonder if maybe he needs medication of some sort.

For one thing, there's the whole water issue. There are a couple of water bowls for the cats in this house, but Max prefers to get his water from more challenging sources. The bathroom tap, for instance. If you run the tap in the upstairs bathroom you're almost guaranteed to have Max come in as soon as the door is opened so that he can lick the one or two remaining drips off of the spout (and that, boys and girls, is precisely why I don't drink water from that tap. If you come to visit I'd suggest pretty much the same course of action for you). But the water thing doesn't stop there. This time of year he's an obsessive window licker.

Yep, windows. Or the condensation off of the windows, to be more precise.

If you sit in the living room for more than, say, twenty minutes I can promise you that in that time the cat will have brushed aside the vertical blinds to lick the window at least once. Maybe more if he's recently had a snack and needs to wash it down with something. He alternates between the living room window and the one in my father's bedroom. I guess they have the best tasting glass in the house or something.

I could go on with some of the other weirdities Max commits, but I think I'll save them up for the next time I can't think of anything to blog about. If I start saying I have nothing in the next while just remind me that I was going to blather about the cat's occasional lack of eyebrows...





No, I'm not kidding.

Later, folks.

Something something Boxing Day...

Yep, no idea what to post about today.

Christmas Day? It was quiet, just the way I prefer it these days.

Christmas dinner? Was good. I won't bore you with more thoughts about turkey in the rotisserie rather than in the oven except to say that it's so much better in the rotisserie.

Today? Not sure yet. I'm not planning to head back into the city for the sales or anything and I don't know if I'll check any of them out here. I should probably do some doodling since I didn't bother with much last week. Or maybe I'll just sit here and continue to listen to my coat thumping along in the dryer.

It's my annual traditional Boxing Day coat wash, you know.

Ok, so that's not really a thing. It's just that washing my coat is about all that I accomplished this morning, that's all.

And not exactly blog fodder.

Sooo...

I think maybe it's time to stop typing.





Ok then.

A not snarky at all Christmas post

No, really. It's honestly a Christmas post that's not snarky at all. It'll probably be short, but definitely not snarky.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that the tracks in today's pointless post had more to do with a Mule Deer than a Reindeer, but it was the best that I could do.

Obviously I have other things besides blogging going on just now, but I did at least want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Of Your Preference and lots of good food and egg nog.

If you like egg nog.

If you don't like egg nog you should probably stay away from the egg nog. Just a thought.

And now for your viewing pleasure:

A classic Christmas song.

A... different kind of classic Christmas song.

My favourite version of A Christmas Carol.

My other favourite version of A Christmas Carol.

And... um... gimme a sec...

All right, let's end with a sketch that doesn't have a whole lot to do with Christmas but does have a Christmas tree in it.




Have a good one, everyone.

Something something Christmas Eve

I did warn you yesterday that I was out of pointless photos of snow for the moment. Here's an old picture of Snow in Summer to make up for it, though.

Now then. On to the post which, as you can probably tell by the title, I don't actually have a clue about just yet. My life, thankfully, has been a lot less interesting so far this morning than yesterday was. I'm sort of hoping it'll stay that way.

Not so good for the blather, though.

Well... I suppose since I put it in the post title I could talk a little bit about Christmas Eve. Probably just a little, but we'll give it a try.

My Christmas Eve when I was a kid was probably a little different than the average North American WASP's Christmas Eve generally is, because it involved presents. Every Christmas Eve we would head over to my paternal grandmother's house (usually making a detour along the way to drive up to the local mental hospital's grounds to see the decorated trees -- not as weird as it sounds, honestly -- while listening to the NORAD Santa report on the car radio. You can find it here now, but I'm old enough to have listened to it on the radio instead) to open gifts with grandma and my two uncles.

Right about now some of you might be wondering whether I have German ancestry or something like that. I'm not in the mood to do the research (you can, if you like), but it seems to me that I remember hearing something about the English royal family always opening their gifts on Christmas Eve because the tradition started with Queen Victoria (herself largely of German descent) and her German consort Albert. Well, I'm not German. As far as I know, anyway.

What I didn't know until comparatively recently is the why of our Christmas Eves. A couple of years ago my father and I were talking about... you know, I can't remember what at the moment, but he mentioned waiting every Christmas Eve for his father to get home after closing the bar so that they could open presents. My grandfather was the bartender/manager at the local Legion, you see, and because of that generally worked on Christmas Day. That's why his family had their Christmas the night before.

Um, I guess. I hope I'm remembering this story right. I know it was something like that, anyway.

Funny to think that my growing-up Christmas Eves were shaped by the job of someone who died long before I was even born, though.

Today? Well, nowadays presents happen on Christmas Day like most people's, and I don't even know if the hospital still decorates their trees. I guess it was a pretty short-lived family tradition in the end, but it's still kind of neat to think about.

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone.






Oh shoot. I was going to talk about my father's tissue-paper-filled gift bag, wasn't I? Ah well. Maybe tomorrow.

Hey, I should blog

And I suppose I should take some more snow pictures tomorrow. This is the last of the current batch.

Gee, pictures of snow. That reeeally sounds like fun...

Anyway. I should blather. I should. I'm not sure what to blather about, though, since the day turned out to be more eventful than I had expected. Unfortunately, not with events that I feel like elaborating on except to say to EVERYONE that driving while talking on the cell phone is a bad, bad thing. Don't do it. Ever.

Um... Now I have to elaborate at least a little, right? Well, let me just say that witnessing someone's accident through someone else's phone conversation can be pretty scary. Especially when the someone on the other end of the line suddenly doesn't answer. Everyone's ok, thank goodness. But please. Everyone. Driving should be driving. Period. Not EVER driving and whatever else you think you can manage at the same time.

I think that's all I feel like managing today, although the above was just one facet of my too-interesting day. I think I prefer boring, to be honest.

See you tomorrow.







When, if you're lucky, I'll tell you why my father's getting a gift bag full of tissue paper for Christmas.

I'm trying, I really am

To not be as snitty as I was yesterday, that is.

Honestly, I am.

It's just... winter, you know? Winter just brings out so many things that I hate.

Like cold. And snow. I simply can't understand anyone's wanting snow (other than for skiing on, I guess. But then, Gimpy the Wonder Klutz here can't really understand the need for skiing either). It's so... part of me wants to say snowy, but I suppose I should avoid being the Department of Redundancy Department today... let's go with inconvenient, then. Snow means digging out the car (and me having to dress like a polar explorer just to dig out the damned car). Snow means that the roads will probably be crap, and that the drivers who haven't figured out that the roads are crap will be scary.

Speaking of which, and in part 1342 of the continuing series I Hate Your Truck, why is it that the STDOTDs (that'd be Stupid Truck Driver of the Day, for those of you who don't follow my personal acronyms religiously. Or at all) who drive the biggest, baddest four-wheel drive wondermobiles can't seem to figure out that it should probably be them who move over into the deeper snow on narrow roads? I drive a freaking Saturn, for Whomever's sake. If I get stuck I'm liable to stay that way. And it's not like the STOTDs are going to offer help when it happens, right?

Um, anyway. Idiots in trucks bug me even when the roads are fine, so I should probably leave that topic for another day.

And besides, I did actually get more than a couple of hours of sleep last night and I'm honestly in a better state than I was yesterday and the day before, so I really should try to be more pleasant. 'Tis the season, after all.

Stupid snow, wrecking my mood.

I just now typed another whingy snow paragraph, but I've deleted it. Somehow I think I've more than made my point today.

Now if it would only stop snowing long enough for me to feel like doing my Christmas shopping.






Um... yeah. Sad but true statement there. I did mention that some of you will have to be planning to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas this year, right? By then I may actually have bought you something...

Yes, there's been a shortage of posts.

Wanna make something of it?

I'm working on a severe lack of sleep here, so I'm quite willing to slap you silly.

Just so you know.

Ok, the mood's obviously great. Add that to the yet more snow we're getting (and yes, I know it's nothing compared to what the east got. Any snow is bad for my general anti-snowness, though) and the lack of sleep (and did I mention the lack of sleep?) and I just don't quite know how I can fake a happy post.

So maybe I won't bother.

I will try to write a few actual wordy-type posts over Christmas to make up for this snittery, I promise. Emphasis on the try part, however. We'll see what happens.

And another snow photo

And another I need to get back to work so this is all you're getting post.

They're exciting, aren't they?

Later, all.

Pointless snow photo of the day:

Because snow is the ultimate pointlessness, as far as I'm concerned.

That's it for today. I've got to go take a walk.

In the snow.

But at least it's melting, so I think I'll survive.

The traditional Christmas Tree post

What? Everyone has their Christmas traditions, right? One of mine happens to be decorating the tree and then taking a streaky, flashless picture of it. I do it every year, so it must be a tradition.

All right, all, right. See below for a non-streaky flashless picture.

But bonus points on the top photo if you can tell where the incandescent lights end and the LED string starts. I get a kick out of that effect, but then I'm easily amused.

Anyway.

Big day for me today, I guess, since I actually went outside about a half hour ago and didn't feel like my nose was about to snap off. Yes, boys and girls, it is not -30C outside. It's not even -20C.

I may fall down in a faint.

I may also have no excuse to not be on the highway today as well. Ok, let's revisit that sentence. I have no excuse to skip another day of work, so I'll be heading home in a little while.

This means, amongst other things, that you can look for the next few blog posts to go back to the "I'm busy, here's a photo" variety. No doubt I will be busy. Good thing it's the slow time of year for what I usually do, or I'd be unimaginably busy.

And what is it that I do, exactly?

Let me know if you find out, ok?

Anyway, I should go get my stuff packed and think about heading out before things get too warm and too slippery.

Who've thought I'd be saying that a few days ago, eh?

Catch you later.

So what'll we have today?

Well, let's start with a picture of snow, since that's what's out there. Oh, and the rain gauge isn't really of too much use at the moment. Don't you think?

What else? Quick neck complaint, I guess. Hey, neck? Get yourself straightened out, already. I'm getting sick of the headaches.

And quick weather complaint, because you know I just have to: I hate winter. Still, yes. Apparently things are supposed to start warming up tomorrow (I refuse to believe that until it actually happens, though. Call it my version of knocking wood) which may even lead me to go back to my own place... erm, yeah. I'm not a big fan of travelling -- especially alone -- when the weather makes it dangerous for me to be outside for any length of time, so my father's had a roommate these past couple of days. Um, anyway. I still hate winter, is what I'm saying.

And next? Hmmm. I don't really have much today, I have to admit. I could touch quickly on my dislike for Anne Geddes' photography, but it would be really quickly because the only reason it's come up at all is that I have my iGoogle theme set to random and it must have been Anne Geddes turn to have the spotlight today. Frankly, I don't see the appeal of babies dressed up as vegetables or flowers or whatever, but obviously a lot of people do so I'll just leave it to them and wait for tomorrow's random theme to take over. It's no biggie either way.

Anything else?

Not really.

And besides, my face kind of hurts from all the sneezing. Sneezing, you say? Yeah. No idea why, but there's sure been a lot of it this morning. Maybe it's the cats or something, I don't know.

And that's really no way to end a post, is it? Well, let's check the video vault and see what I can come up with...

Ok, Playing For Change came up somewhere else this morning, so that's a good enough excuse to link to one of my favourite pieces of theirs. I've probably linked to it before, but you know what? I don't care. It's good. Enjoy it.






Aaand... I was going to end there, but after that I need a bit more Keb' Mo'. Gotta love it.

Snit roundup

Ok, to sum up what I could be whinging about at this very moment so we don't have to do this the long-winded way: my neck still hurts, I need to sleep more, I hate winter (although it doesn't seem to be bothering the deer much, as evidenced by the tracks in the yard), and I'd like to thank CTV for making me not give a flying rat's bum about the Vancouver Olympics.

Oh, wait. Let's elaborate on that last one for a bit.

I'm not saying I would have been full of Olympic fever anyway, to start with. The winter Olympics don't thrill me for the most part because I'm not really into any winter sports. Well, all right, I'll watch hockey. And things like luge and skeleton because I think those people are completely nuts. And, ok, maybe I'll watch a bit of speed skating as well. But that's about it for me and sports that involve cold. So you can imagine that those few things in themselves weren't exactly going to make me wait with fish breath (erm... baited, that would be) for the start of a whole big winter sports to-do.

Now let's add in the CTV factor.

CTV, I know that you paid big money for the rights to broadcast the games. I also understand that you need to let people know that you're Canada's home for the Winter Olympics (or whatever). However, that doesn't mean that it was a great move to beat it into our heads for the last two years that THIS IS WHERE WE'LL FIND THE OLYMPICS. All those exhortations to believe -- over and over and over again -- don't make someone like me want to cheer on our athletes. It makes someone like me (and I can't be the only one) want to tell you where to stuff it.

And now that the games are nearly here things haven't gotten much better. Over-coverage of the world's longest and most pointless torch relay? Lovely for those involved, I suppose, but not exactly getting me all worked up. And I won't even tell you where to stick those bloody red mittens. I know, I know, it's for a good cause. But it's completely annoying to see the commercials. And see the commercials. And see the commercials.

And veering away from CTV-brand overexposure for a moment: whose bright idea do you suppose it was to have mascots for a Canada-hosted Olympics that look so... I dunno... anime? Makes about as much sense as choosing the well-known Vancouver inukshuk as your games symbol. I mean, I like inukshuks. Really I do. But they have absolutely nothing to do with Vancouver.

I dunno. I'd like to be excited about all of this. I would. But at this point my brain is so sick of hearing about it that I've already hit just get it over with. And I don't even live in Vancouver. I can ignore the whole thing if I choose to. How big do you suppose the dent in my forehead would be by now if I was in the thick of the annoyance and inconvenience?




Erm, yeah. Good on the patriotism, I guess, Dee. Um... go team?

I refuse to use that stupid "official" cheer. What is it, something like Eh! O! Canada Go!, right? Good lord. If they wanted it to sound fake stereotypical Canadian they should have just used Go, eh. That would have done it.







And just in the interest of full disclosure because there are a few of you out there who know my preferences and may call me on them after this needless rant, I'll say YES. Yes, ok. I may just have increased my snititude ever so slightly seeing as the Winter Olympics give me no opportunity to watch the Men's Eight win more medals...

And you wonder about my mood?

For someone who loathes the cold as much as I do, this does not count as a winter wonderland. Just saying.

Oh, and it was -28C outside yesterday when I stepped outside (BRIEFLY!!!) to take this picture. And a few others. Yeah, we'll have a few days on the blog without leftover sunflower photos now.

Incidentally, it's also -28C out there right now. Our high today is supposed to be -25C. Um... yay?

Anyway. I'm not sure what I have to blather about today, since I just finished spending my brain on drawing a turtle. It's the first time I've drawn a turtle, actually. It went ok, I guess. For a turtle doodle done at the computer using someone else's photo that I wish could have been a little clearer. And for not really knowing how to draw a turtle.

But there you go, then.

Or something.

In other news, as usual this time of year Lumpy Penny has decided that she is a gift to the household and therefore deserves to occupy the Christmas tree skirt. Our tree isn't decorated yet (maybe I'll aim for that this afternoon), but that doesn't stop the cat from figuring that it's hers.

She's doing better than I am with the whole Christmas thing, I suppose. A combination of the weather, putting my neck out, and my general inability to get my act together has meant that I've done exactly no Christmas shopping. I know what at least one person is getting (late. At this point I'm aiming for Ukrainian Christmas, which I figure is valid since my grandfather was Ukrainian. Well, Ukrainian Canadian), but I have no idea for my father. I warned him that he might be getting a gift card -- yeah, I'm one of those people who sees absolutely nothing wrong with buying gift certificates rather than useless and completely inappropriate gifts -- and he seemed pretty all right with that.

Maybe that's what'll happen, then.

I don't know.

And anyway, nothing at all is likely to happen until it warms up about twenty degrees.





Sigh.

I really don't like winter, did I mention?

How's the snit going, Dee?

Oh, pretty well. I'm getting lots of practice, at any rate.

You'll notice that I ran out of pointless photos of frosty things. I could go out and take pointless photos of snowy things today, I guess, except that we currently have a severe windchill warning...

I hate winter.

But then you already know that.

And how's everything else? Well, the neck's a little better. I'll have a heckuva headache tonight from gravity compressing things again, but at the moment I can turn my head decently. That's better than having things worse. Oh, and I've had the Motown on this morning, so at least there's been a certain amount of singing along. Always a good thing for my general well-being, even if I've had to take it easy on the chairdancing this time around.

See? I'm trying to be in a better mood. I'm not quite there, but I'm working on it.

This helped, too.

I need to change laundry loads now. But I was out of stuff anyway, so it's convenient timing.



Later, then.

Ok, so...

Well, I managed a whole one day in a row before something else happened to add to the general suckage of my week.

I put my neck out yesterday.

Yay me.

Today? Still off-kilter, but I managed to move enough to make it down the highway to my father's place.

Slowly.

The roads are pretty much crap at the moment. But if I'd waited a day for the neck to sort itself out (which may or may not happen anyway) the roads would still be crap and I'd have the added pleasure of minus godawful temperatures to go along.

None of this is making me particularly happy. Does it show?

I'll... try to be a bit more positive tomorrow. Or something.

Yeah, yeah, I know

Blog much lately, Dee?

Not my fault.

Honestly.

You see, we had a bit of a storm a few days ago (and today's pointless photo was taken a couple of weekends ago. If I took it now it would have that polar-bear-in-a-snowstorm quality everybody's looking for in a pointless photo). Storms happen. And, unfortunately, when storms happen around here things usually get VERY cold for a while afterward.

Afterward can, on occasion, be a couple of weeks. Not this time, I hope, but it's been known to happen.

Anyway, when it gets cold it's extremely difficult for me to go anywhere because it's extremely painful for me to be outside long enough to clear off/warm up the car. And why is that? Oh, we've talked about it before. Let's just say that it's really stupid to be allergic to the cold when you live in, say, CANADA. At any rate, storm + cold = I stay housebound for a while.

I'm out today, but just barely.

The weather's a bit warmer (as in, now it's only TEN degrees below normal daytime high), but I got a nasty surprise when I went down to the car. It seems that the apartment manager, who in the way too many years I've been living there has gained a reputation for not clearing the snow in the parking lot all winter long and then letting us put up with wading in the meltwater all spring, has had a change of heart. Now, apparently, we get the parking lot cleared right away. WHILE THE CARS ARE STILL IN IT.

Did I mention the storm? There was a bit of snow.

Most of it, apparently, was needed to box in my car.

Should I say here that, since I live in a flipping apartment, I don't actually own a snow shovel?






Yeah. Picture the scene yourselves. I really don't want to type it all out.

Aaanyway. I should get back to work, since I haven't been here for a couple of days.





And will I be back to be pointless tomorrow?









I guess.










Maybe.

Really quick pointless photo of the day:

Yeah, I know I haven't been around all week.

I've got work to do now, though.

Later, then.