Five gone wild (the spring break edition)...

[magnetic_pole]

...and by "wild" I mean "enjoying decadent mid-afternoon naps." I'm in the middle of spring break this week and finally catching up on sleep and feeling more like myself again.

1) Who made you feel good this week, and how? 1) Two old friends--one from high school, one from grad school--who came to the area for work and stayed for a few days to visit. (One of the benefits of living in a popular conference locale.) Plus we still have one more visitor before the week's over! 2) Also, the better half, who's made me scones twice, just because.

2) What did you do this week that moved you closer to reaching your goals? Honestly, nothing. And that's okay. I'll get back to goals next week.

3) What did you most enjoy doing this week? Eating out. Visitors were our excuse to go to the slightly fancy Laotian place nearby, which was amazing (Nam Khao/crispy rice salad, a curry, and a dish with tofu and dill). We also had Cuban food (ropa vieja, pork, plantains), fresh croissants, and white people food for brunch (less remarkable but including a surprisingly yummy quinoa and kale salad with grapefruit and beets). Have I mentioned that I love eating?

4) What did you learn this week? Claritin-D over regular Claritin! We're cat sitting for a downstairs neighbor this week, and the regular Claritin was not doing it for highly cat-allergic me. (Super cute kitties, by the way--one young, curious boy cat with and an elderly, cranky old cat-man who tried to bite me yesterday after ten minutes of apparently enjoyable petting and attention. Not sure what I was doing wrong there.)

5) What’s the funniest thing that happened to you this week? Watching this little guy trying to extradite himself from his predicament.

Comments

[secretsolitaire]

Aw, I'm glad the puppy got untangled!

Your answer about food made me hungry.

I once lived with a cat who would come up to you and headbutt your hand in search of pets, but you could only stroke him a few times before he went all evil and lashed out. Some cats are just cranks.

[magnetic_pole]

This is definitely a cranky cat. As I was saying to Write Out below, though, he's stiff, deaf, partially blind, and has lived all of his eighteen years with his human, who's now abandoned him for a week. I can understand the crankiness.

Weren't you happy for that little puppy? Things started off so dire. (I've also been laughing at at little pup who feel off a couch, poor thing, but that video didn't have the happy ending this story had.)

Ah, the food's been great this week. Hope you've good some good food in your future, too! (Are you a cook? I can't remember how you divide that task in your family.) M.

[secretsolitaire]

Aw, I'd be cranky too!

I wouldn't call myself "a cook," but I do most of the cooking. (SO deals with any grilling that needs to be done, as he's more of a meat eater, and he does all the cleanup.) I feel like I'm only adequate at cooking, but SO isn't much better, so we muddle along. :) Last week I attempted beet burgers, which I thought would be juicy and healthy and delicious but turned out dry and flavorless. Such a disappointment!

[magnetic_pole]

Beet burgers! Such a disappointment they weren't better. Every time I have beets I remember that I like them enormously but don't really know what to do with them. Burgers sound(ed) like a great option.

What is it with men and grilling? They always know how to grill and want to do it! :)

That's great that the SO is good with cleaning up--a fair trade, I'd say. M.

[secretsolitaire]

I had an amazing beet burger at a market in Florence, of all places, though in retrospect I think what may have made it good was some delicious sort of sauce. It was definitely juicy though. I haven't given up -- just haven't found the right recipe. *nod nod*

Yeah, men grilling is so cliche, but there it is. I don't know if it hearkens back to their caveman instincts or what!

[magnetic_pole]

I feel like every time I have an amazing dish I should stop and ask the chef (or friend) what was in it. Those memories linger forever and I'm always stumped, trying to remember why I liked it so much.

You always have the best travel stories. :) M.

[write_out]

Spring Break! \o/ I hope you're getting some quiet time between all of the lovely friend visits.

All of that food sounds amazing! (I chortled at white people food, but I admit I am a sucker for a good brunch.)

My beloved Nellie cat (RIP) was also a crank (love that description). She wanted love until she didn't and there was usually no warning. I'm glad the Claritin-D is helping!

[magnetic_pole]

The Claritin D is amazing. I've done cat sitting for extended periods before, and earlier this week I was trying to remember how that was even possible, because I was sneezing and sniffling almost as soon as I sat down in the apartment. As soon as I switched, I realized how differently the two medications affect me.

The food here is really great--and that's just happened in the past ten years or so. There weren't very many places to eat in this neighborhood before about 2008 and not much good ethnic food in this city generally. It's part of a move toward better food nationally, isn't it? Have you seen it in your part of the world, too? One of the out-of-town friends this week was visiting from the midwest and remarked on how much the grocery/restaurant scene has improved in his midwestern city since he moved there about twenty years ago. The 21st century's brought some good things, though it doesn't always seem like it.

Aw, cranky Nellie. *cuddles her memory, but only if she's in the mood for it* M.

[write_out]

Portland has an amazing food scene, not that I'm a gourmand or anything. There are tons of restaurants and a much better variety than when I first moved there. There are lots of pricey places and those seem to be sprouting up more and more, but I have seen more diversity too. As we all know, Maine is WHITE and has very little ethnic diversity, but that is slowly changing in terms of food choices. We have large Somalian populations scattered around the state and we're seeing more restaurants and shops that showcase their cultures. Mexican food is still sadly nothing like it is back west, but I've been seeing more places that seem to be moving away from the standard tex-mex fare. We've got lots more Asian restaurants now, which is great. There are more places to get Pho than there ever were before.

Ha! Oh Nellie..I miss her, but not so much her sharp claws.

I hope you've been enjoying your friend visits! Are you back to work on Monday?

[magnetic_pole]

I was in Portland for a conference a few years ago (actually, quite a few years ago, now that I think about it), and I remember locals saying how much they enjoyed the food there. And more pho places can only mean exponentially better options!

Back to work this evening, actually, in anticipation of class next week. It's the home stretch before the summer! M.

[boxofdelights]

Not sure what I was doing wrong there.

Nothing. Cats just do that, especially male cats who reach sexual maturity before they get neutered. I hope he didn't break the skin; the stuff you're allergic to is in their saliva and if it gets under your skin it really sets off your immune system.

[magnetic_pole]

Aha! Good to know. He didn't break the skin--he's old and slow, and it was fairly clear what he was trying to do, so I pulled away quickly. Some days he wants attention and petting, some days he doesn't. And some days he changes his mind. Like people, I suppose.

Thanks for the pet knowledge, B! We've never had pets but have been cat sitting and dog sitting lately for the company, and it's a steep learning curve. :) M.

[alisanne]

Heheh, yes, I can see why that little guy captured your attention. *cuddles him*

Meh. Cats. *shrugs*

All your food sounded yummy. I just had some yogurt but now I want port plantains. :P
Also, mmmm scones. :)

Happy Spring Break! ♥

[magnetic_pole]

Hee! Isn't that puppy such a cutie? How did he even get in that position to begin with?!?

All the food has been so delicious. We're lucky to have great and not-super-expensive places in the neighborhood here. One day there will be a con here and I'll take you out!

I can't remember if you're a baker? The better half has started getting fancy flour (in this case, King Arthur's whole wheat pastry flour), which really makes a difference. Who knew?

Thanks for the spring break wishes! I hope your week is progressing quickly toward a lovely weekend. :) M.

[splix]

The reason the cat did that was that he got overstimulated by the petting. It’s super common and nothing bad that you did. :)

I’m so glad you’re enjoying spring break!!! Napping is such a sublime thing, a true marker of civilization.

[magnetic_pole]

Aha! I can understand overstimulated. (In fact, that's why I'm napping so much right now. :) *sigh* Still a lot to learn about cats, clearly.

I'm not a napper by nature--I fall deeply asleep and then wake up disoriented and even more tired. But this week it doesn't really matter. I think the body just needs to catch up.

Hope you're also having a quiet week! I love having a break to catch up on things (grading, that new lecture that seemed like such a good idea in January) and get out of the routine before the final push. It's the lull before the storm, isn't it? M.

[ancientreader]

That's what I would have said too, overstimulation. I've had several cats who enjoyed a small amount of petting/stroking but would lash out after a certain point. I've also had cats who bit, sometimes quite hard, in what seemed to be a grooming thing: lick lick lick bite, just the way they do when they're grooming themselves. Cat behavior is much less well studied than dog behavior, and there's a fuckton of nonsense out there even about dog behavior, so who the heck knows.

[magnetic_pole]

The odd thing about this cat is that he'll occasionally reach out with his paw and draw me back to keep petting if I've stopped, but the last time he did that, he tried to bite. Who knows?

I'm such a talky/verbal/cerebral person that all this body language communication really puzzles me.

Did you see that article in the NYT recently about dogs vs cat in medical studies? (Hope you can see that--it may be behind a paywall.) M.

[ancientreader]

I did see that article, thanks!

We have a "Pet me"/"I'm gonna bite you" cat as well. As you say, Who knows? And she's one of those grooming/biting cats. *shakes head in bafflement*

[magnetic_pole]

...and today he's been in the mood for petting, following me around and putting his head under my hand and sensibly moving away when he's had enough. If nothing else, those two are keeping me guessing! M.

[out_there]

Okay, that clip is so cute! And he looks so pleased with himself when he finally wiggles out! That definitely brightened my day!

[magnetic_pole]

SUCH A SWEETIE! Glad you enjoyed, too. That kind of joy is so infectious. M.

[ancientreader]

Ha my big accomplishments this week have been getting about two hundred words done of my smutswap pinch-hit and having some dentistry which I will not describe because I remember your saying that it horrifies you. I would much much rather have shared your meals! Well, writing the porn is always fun.

[magnetic_pole]

Lalalalala not listening to the dentistry part at all! (Hope that way okay.) But very happy you got some writing done. That always feels good. I love that moment when you're deep into a story, building it up even while you're going about other tasks.

By the way, I've been watching Queer Eye at your suggestion this week as I play with the cats, and you're so right: it's been so touching! I can see why you've needed tissue--I was outright weeping today during the coming out episode, number four. Are they going to continue to be able to find such great stories? I hadn't watched the original QE, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's a lot of life coaching in addition to the make-over component. Anyways, thanks for the suggestion! M.

[ancientreader]

I'm so glad you're enjoying / weeping over Queer Eye! Yep, that fourth episode ...
What did you think of the third, if you watched it? That was one I simply couldn't warm up to, especially not after that stunt his buddy pulls at the beginning of the episode. But, well, I just can't find even the smallest soft spot in my heart for a Trump voter, so.

I never watched the original, either -- maybe one episode? To judge by what I've heard from others, it was more gimmicky. This one, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to depend on their queerness except in the way that their development into adult gay men informs their openness and kindness; it's not focused on notions of gay men automatically being stylish and straight men not, if that makes sense.

[magnetic_pole]

I warmed up a bit more to the guy in the third episode than you did, but I was anxious the whole time. The whole issue of police violence is so deeply disturbing that I found it hard to be happy about a dynamic in which they each seem to reach out and find a bit of common ground. (And "common ground" here was Karamo not saying anything when the main guy disavowed "bad apples.") The fifth episode, with the religious guy who clearly didn't know many queer folks, was hard to watch at times as well.

That said, the show's not done a bad job at all. I'm surprised!

They're all very open and kind, aren't they? I'm so impressed by the way they've handled some interactions. The better half's been talking a couching course this past year, and I recognize a lot of their strategies from that world. Makes me wonder what they do for their day jobs.

Anyways, thanks for pointing it out! While I usually love seeing gay and lesbian folks on tv and go out of my way to watch, I'm not sure I would have given this a try had you not said how much you were enjoying it. M.

[ancientreader]

I also thought Karamo let the cop off lightly (hah), although at least he let him know clearly how terrifying that traffic-stop prank was har-de-har-har-har. I swear I thought I was going to throw up, and that was in spite of knowing that of course K. wasn't going to get shot, because the episode wouldn't be airing if that had happened.

I found the religious dude less awful despite probably the same moments that bothered you and even though $5 will get you $10 that he is still one of those "Love the sinner, hate the sin" types and also even though I am personally weirded out by people who have that many kids. I guess because he wasn't huge with a buzz cut and a gun. :^O

[magnetic_pole]

And I was more suspicious of the religious guy, but also more worried about him and sad for him because that two-job schedule seemed unworkable and likely to end badly. (I know folks can make two jobs or even more work, but not on an hour and a half of sleep per night, which eventually is going to be dangerous for him.)

It's interesting to think about what's being held back in these episodes for the sake of the narrative they put together. I read the other day that the civil engineer (AJ?) put his condo on the market because he was moving in with his partner, and that gave a whole new spin to the state of his apartment.

Meanwhile, THANK YOU for the warning on your recent post! I will in fact skip the scary parts entirely, including the comments. Super sorry to hear about your run in with the car door, though. Yikes. On top of the other pain! Will it help to hear the story of a student of mine who slammed her finger in the car door, was convinced to go to the ER by her mother, and then slammed her other finger when she got to the hospital? (This has been my mantra recently: let's just try not to let unfortunate things happen twice.) Hope Spouse gets home soon to comfort you. M.

[ancientreader]

Thank you for that point about Religious Guy's two jobs! I kept going WAIT WHAT an hour and a half of sleep daily, HOW, but as everyone seemed to just take it as an accepted given I thought I must be misinterpreting something.

As to my woes of which we will not speak in detail, a friend declares that I am officially at the "horrified giggling" stage of bad luck. *slow clap* Your student seems to have been in the same boat, poor child. I like your mantra very, very much, and you're welcome for the warning!

[magnetic_pole]

a friend declares that I am officially at the "horrified giggling" stage of bad luck

*sends as many good vibes as I can muster* M.

[therealsnape]

Enjoy the visits and the scrumptious food - since I've sampled the other half's cooking (love you both - can't say 'better half', obviously) my mouth waters whenever you describe the food at your place.

[magnetic_pole]

In the past 24 hours, the better half's made tacos (carne asada, not the carnitas you had), chili verde, and two sets of mini-pies in honor of Pi Day: peach (with vanilla and cinnamon) and strawberry. It's been a great week chez magnetic_pole. :) Wish you were here to enjoy! M.