7 Quick Takes: Peg Saints, Minions, and LeBron James Edition

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Jen

Peg saints. My friend Amanda of Worthy of Agape has a shop selling peg saints and she recently announced a saint subscription set list.

(I don’t receive anything for publicizing this — I just happen to have gotten to meet Amanda in January and I like her. :D)

— 2 —

Minion update #1. My little black beastling got his first taste of catnip on Tuesday night and it had an entertaining effect on him. It’s amazing how much noise a little black kitten can make having zoomies around the house and up and down the stairs! I think every cat toy in the house got killed 3-4 times over before he finally crashed off of his catnip high.

My little critter is also claiming he had no knowledge of the “no kittens on the table” rule despite being removed from the table multiple times. (He also claims not to understand that it applies to the kitchen table as well as the dining room table.)

— 3 —

Duolingo. While reading this article on the Klingon language, I saw that they even have a course for it on Duolingo and decided to teach myself Spanish this summer because my only academic class is a 1-credit class that is a requirement for everyone graduating with an ATA from my school. (It’s called “Job Search” and it helps us build a resume, write cover letters, interview well, and write lovely thank-you notes for any interviews we receive.) The website has a surprisingly large number of languages people can learn and people who are bilingual can contribute to the development of courses for different languages they speak.

— 4 —

Minion update #2. The little miscreant is having turbo insane zoomies and is trying to beat up our 14-year-old tiger cat Jethro… who is at least three times Minion’s size. Jet is being a gentleman and just smacking him every so often, but Mom and I are laughing because Jethro did this to Trail Kitty, my parents’ deceased Maine Coon Cat when Jet was a kitten. What goes around comes around, Jethro!

— 5 —

I shouldn’t laugh… but I am. Some Trump supporters got a bit irritated at NPR for tweeting propaganda yesterday. The name of the piece sounds familiar…

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

— 6 —

Prerequisite take on hating various sports teams. LeBron James is headed to the LA Lakers. I can still rag on him because I hate on southern California teams just as much as I hate on Cleveland teams… because southern California is too hot, ugly, and overpopulated. Also… IT’S NOT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WE WISH THE SOUTH WOULD FREAKING SECEDE ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

— 7 —

Minion update #3. I just went downstairs and collected my little black bear cat. He has calmed down a little bit… by which I mean that he is no longer thundering up and down the stairs and beating up my leg. Such a silly little monster!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Minion Edition

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Jen

— 1 —

Cat take #1. So this little monster came home with me on Monday. I named him Minion because people plotting global domination (like myself) need minions.

Minion the Cat

Isn’t he cute?

— 2 —

Cat take #2. Minion has decided that he is the same size as our remaining cat Jethro (Homer’s brother) and should charge him and pounce on his tail.

…

Yeah, Jethro is at least 3-4 times his size and could eat him for a light snack. To his credit, Jet has only smacked him twice and both times were deserved.

— 3 —

Cat take #3. Even with the arrival of Minion, we are still really heartbroken over losing Homer on Sunday and there are still tears shed almost every day. Homer was Jethro’s littermate, became my snuggle buddy when I moved in with my parents in October 2015, and was my homework helper. Minion isn’t a replacement for him and prayers are needed for us as we deal with our broken hearts.

I will say, however, that adopting the little beast the day after losing Homer is helping our hearts a lot. He has taken over Homer’s sleeping spots and he is a snuggly little monster.

— 4 —

Let’s just put this one to rest right now. I’ve had to share this page from Snopes.Com on multiple Facebook posts this week, so let’s just be clear:

Neither Clinton nor Obama passed legislation separating children from their parents at the border. Furthermore, asylum seekers are treated differently than normal immigrants. Lastly, illegal immigration is at a historic low, meaning that THERE IS NO CRISIS AT THE BORDER OTHER THAN THE ONE MANUFACTURED BY 45.

Are we clear?

— 5 —

Strangely believable. This is fabulous. It’s a comedian listing off things his fans reported not being allowed to watch as children.

— 6 —

Cat take #4. My mom just came in holding a little black kitten and asked if I had mentioned to him that the “no kittens on the table” rule applied to the kitchen table as well as the dining room one. Apparently, Minion was disavowing knowledge of that part of the rule.

Silly little monster!

— 7 —

Earworm. You’re welcome!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: June 24, 2018

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Jen

For Today… June 24, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… sunny and around 70F.

I am thinking… about Homer, my parents’ grey cat who had to be put to sleep this morning. My heart is broken.

I am thankful… for the safe delivery of my nephew Braden in the early hours of this morning.

One of my favorite things… black cats. There’s one in the lobby of my vet’s office who we will be adopting tomorrow.

I am wearing… grey shirt and black jeans.

I am creating… a Facebook entry to put up tomorrow announcing Homer’s passing.

I am reading… True Identity by Imani Dodley-Olear

I am hoping… to meet my new nephew soon.

In my kitchen… I’ll grab some leftovers later.

In the school room… two weeks until ESY.

Post Script… the evil overlord list compiled by Peter Anspach

Shared Quote… “As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not.” — Carl Van Vechten

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Best Cat Instagrams Edition

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Jen

For those who don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram, my parents’ grey cat Homer had a rare and very severe reaction to his rabies shot and developed an IMHA. I rushed him to the vet on Sunday morning and had to miss a family wedding so I could be on-call for the vet. (It was also bloody hot and I was having knee issues, so chasing my sweet child around would have been a no-go. The cousin getting married is my favorite, so I was really bummed to miss it even though I had legit reasons.) The vet was convinced that we’d be having a euthanasia appointment on Monday… until he came back into the room and found Homer lifting his head and purring as my mom talked to him and cuddled him. He improved daily and came home last night, but is having to go back today for a couple days of getting stronger and learning to take his meds without killing the person medicating him. (He can be a bad cat on occasion and we’re loving that at the moment because it means he’s getting better.)

In his honor, here are my favorite cat Instagram accounts.

— 1 —

benbencatcat BenBen is a ginger tabby in British Columbia with very sad eyes. He was attacked by a dog, took a while to be adopted, but is a very loved boy. He and his humans trade the best hashtags in conversations on their posts. Example: #benbenmeltmelt (during the recent heatwave) and #benbenvroomvroom (he was sitting in his dad’s motorcycle gear).

— 2 —

monkandbean Monk is a black cat with vampire fangs and Bean is his bestie and brother. They go out on adventures with their humans on cat harnesses and are frequently dressed up with interesting bandanas and cat costumes.

— 3 —

burmaadventurecat Burma is a brown cat with a white muzzle and paws who goes on high adventure outings with his dad and dogs. His staff is the same family who is Monk’s staff. 😀 It’s not uncommon to see pictures of him swimming in the ocean or exploring the desert with his human dad.

— 4 —

blackcats.matter Because OBVIOUSLY!!! (For those who don’t know, I have a thing for blackers kittehs and miss mine very much.)

— 5 —

justmangobrown Mango is a very affectionate Bengal who is known for giving his dad kisses. 😀 (His parents are having a heck of a time with fertility and Mango is helping them deal with the pain.) Bengals can be absolute nightmares but I think he’s an F3 generation so that might be why he is such a love.

— 6 —

bobo.the.bengal Bobo’s humans live on Long Island and met Burma’s humans one day. Many of Bobo’s adventures take place around NYC, especially on beaches.

— 7 —

smokey_theblackpanther Anyone surprised I follow him? 😀 He’s a gorgeous black mancat — I’m positively smitten with him!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: End of School, Additions to the Family, and The GOP Are Not Pro-Life Edition

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Jen

— 1 —

What the actual [expletive]?!?!?!?!? Please tell me how separating kids from their mothers and keeping kids in kennel enclosures is appropriate, especially by politicians who happen to be pro-life. I freaking dare you!

Don’t believe me? Here are two articles from the Seattle Times on the subject:

Rep. Jayapal meets 174 asylum-seeking women, many separated from children, at SeaTac prison

US senator refused entry to facility holding migrants’ kids

— 2 —

Prayer request. This is around a mile from where I grew up and a pool where I competed with my swim team a few times. Please pray for all affected.

— 3 —

Done! I turned my last final in this afternoon and I am DONE!!! I have three 1-credit classes left in my program and they are spread out over this summer and fall. While it is definitely bittersweet to be saying good-bye to some of my classmates and two of my instructors (one is retiring and one is on sabbatical during Fall Quarter), I’ve gained a bunch of Facebook friends and I’ve proven through my Capstone Case Studies for Integrated Projects that I do know my stuff backwards and forwards.

Right now, I’m just waiting for final grades in two classes.

— 4 —

New books. Rachel Held Evans‘ book Inspired just came out and I picked up a copy of my friend Imani’s book True Identity yesterday. Along with Jen Fulwiler’s new book and the new one from Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., I should have a lovely summer of reading.

— 5 —

Ahem. Who has two thumbs and gets to go hear Presiding Bishop Michael Curry speak tomorrow?

This girl!

**UPDATE** It was AMAZING!!!!

— 6 —

Auntie Jen. My amazing sister-in-law is within a week of her due date. Please pray for a safe delivery for her and for my coming nephew.

Thanks!

— 7 —

Wedding bells. My youngest cousin is getting married on Sunday. Please pray for Sarah and Evan as they begin their life together. Pray also for me because it’s at an herb farm on the grass… and I am **VERY** allergic to grass.

*stockpiles Benadryl cooling gel*

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: June 12, 2018

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Jen

For Today… June 12, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was sunny today and then got cloudy. I’m hoping for rain tomorrow.

I am thinking… about my QuickBooks final.

I am thankful… for my two tutoring students during the last two days.

One of my favorite things… the Pray As You Go podcast.

I am wearing… jammies. Clothes today were a black t-shirt and jeans capris.

I am creating… reports in QuickBooks.

I am watching… YouTube videos.

I am hoping… I can get QuickBooks done tomorrow and that I get some hang out time with a friend on Thursday.

I am learning… how to find the answers I need for my finals this week.

In my kitchen… just cereal tonight.

In the school room… Daniel is in his last week of school. We have ESY this summer.

Post Script… some fun commentary about IHOP becoming IHOB.

Shared Quote… “Imagine if every church became a place where everyone is safe, but no one is comfortable. Imagine if every church became a place where we told one another the truth. We might just create sanctuary.” — Rachel Held Evans

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: CLEVELAND LOST!!!!! Edition

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Jen

— 1 —

Refer to title please. 🙂 My hometown boys (the Warriors) SWEPT the Cavs in the NBA Finals. That’s three NBA Championships in four years. 2016 (Cleveland’s ONLY championship win) was indeed a one-off (and a very last minute victory given that they have ONE good player).

And yes, I do enjoy hating on Cleveland sports. 🙂

— 2 —

This describes me so well. I saw this on the Book of Faces this week and seem to have found a new favorite word.

Hiraeth.

— 3 —

Wow. This past Wednesday (the 6th) marked my last in-person class for my program. Everything else is either online or part of my internship this fall. It’s bittersweet because while I’m happy that the quarter is winding down, I’m going to miss my classmates. We’ve been together for 1-2 years (depending on where people are in their programs)

— 4 —

Leaving an evangelical cult. I’m conjecturing that Dawn (the speaker) is a cousin of Elizabeth Esther. It was interesting to watch.

— 5 —

Daniel update. His gazzazzapop is giving him a weight gain of at least 1 lb per week, which is good as it is taking the threat of an NG tube off the table. He’s fighting against having to drink it, but he doesn’t get a choice at the moment because they are the only calories he is currently getting. (The little beast stopped eating solid food.)

— 6 —

Music take #1. Here is something calming that I like while working on homework.