Sam and Tuli

Sam had the chops today...poor little thing's still a bit woozy from the surgery but he's walking much better and (predictably for this little fella) his appetite is untarnished. We caught him mounting Scarlett this sunday after a long butt-sniffing and decided our little guy's no longer an innocent little kitteh.

We asked our vet for recommendation for a different vet to do Sam and Scarlett because we majorly fell out of trust with our clinic's surgeon after what he did to Clio. The vet who did Sam is an expert in surgeries and brought our baby back with no stitches, good as new (almost, poor baby).

So there, that's about Sam.

As for little Tuli, my soon-to-be-cat (am about to move in with the BF >.<) here are some pictures of the little tike from last weekend.


He's such a pretty little baby, isn't he? With those highlights under his eyes and his lush fur >.<


"I am the cat of this house, heed me, damnit!!"


Tuli ignores BF's sports habit

"How could you possibly find the television more interesting than prosh, elegant moi?"


Trying to eat BF


Zombie kitty wants braaaaiiiiiiinzzz


All shagged up and sleepy


I love this picture; BF and Tuli


Moi and Tuli


Sniffing the cat. It's addictive.


And now for something completely different; the best prank call ever:

Animal Behavior, LJ drama, Book Report and kitty picture bombardment

Animal Behavior: I love this course, not just because its about a subject I know a lot about, but also because it teaches me a lot about stuff I really, really love, with lots of cool animal examples. There's historical background, which is always good and a nice teacher who knows a lot about what he's talking about. He's naming a lot of things I read about and watched on TV and a lot of stuff I notices. Wonderful fun stuff.

LJ drama: Slashers can be stupid, fledgling fangirls can be stupid too, but having been the latter and taken shit from older girls I (hope) I have a slightly less dramatic attitude to drama attempts. The problem starts when I need to make it clear to the other girl that I'm not starting drama, that this is an exchange of opinions, that there's no need to bristle. Ah, well. With university and the BF supplying enough RL for me now, all this internetz nonsense looks so small...

Book Report: Finished Ender's Game....yes....I ate this one in one sitting; which is vary rare for me in books, never mind how much I love books.
It's a great book, not a perfect book, but a great book nonetheless. The plot is captivating, the sci-fi element is not ridiculous and the characters are believable and real. This is more of a psychological book than a sci-fi one.
Scott is a master psychologist but not a master writer; the ending was far too rushed for my taste (though there was closure, thus saving the reader from bitter disappointment and how Scott earns my respect) and one chapter was a little disjointed but the captivation this book inspired on me makes it completely forgivable.
I'm so, so happy the BF got me this wonderful reading experience; submerging into a book is such a pleasant spiritual experience for me <3

Next up: Churchill's The Second World War vol. 2; Their Finest Hour and you just know he'll be raving about the navy until there'll be foam at the corners of his mouth.

And now, some kitty pictures bombardment: this time the theme is 'it's a hard knock life to be a cat.
Seriously, the poor things are really having it tough lately....NOT!

Though they are getting quite old enough to start showing some behaviors...Sam's family jewels are getting dark and big (I'm not a pervert; I'm a biology student and am looking at things in a purely scientific way) and Scarlett's developed a taste to rolling around on surfaces. They're still very third grade about romance but they're getting towards an age where hormones won't ask them what they want.



See how hard it is to be a cat in my house? tssk, we really aught to cut them some slack, those poor little babies.

Sam likes water. He really loves water. He'll sit for hours with his chin in the water, leaning on the water bowl (we joke he's waiting by the water hole for the antelopes and gazelles to arrive...), plods around in the balcony when dad's smoking after it rained and getting his precious mitts muddy. Lately he started investigating the toilet bowl. After he grew big enough to no longer be in danger of drowning, we stopped closing the lid and he started exploring the new 'fountain'. I heard raggies are dog-like, but this is ridiculous! Anyways, here's him by the kitchen faucet.






*Shamelessly showing off teh BF with Scarlett* Scarlett's really taken to my BF as he to her, but it's only because the little fur devil's an attention hog and will come fluff up to him shamelessly. When the BF reaches for Sam the little guy either runs or stays for a pet or two like a good little doggy.


It's a hard knock life, for them


Cats have to always look dignified. Always!. Here's Scarlett looking perfectly dignified in a bag.


"What's funny, lowly human?"


Sleeping little devil princess




Be weary of the godly glow from Sun!cat


Unlike Scarlett, Sam's completely ignorant to the magic of sun beams. Never saw a cat who could resist the sun, but Sam is a remarkable cat. He'd rather spend his time on the bathroom floor, where it's cool. It's pretty cold here lately yet he refuses the treat of the sun, maybe he's just too hot in all that heavy fur. Who knows. Here's Scarlett in a sun beam.


Sam's "come hither" pose


Here's a cat from my university, standing on an original pole from a roman-time temple which is a part of the small archaeological garden bit the university has there. But the cat's more important. I approached the little fluff ball and scratched the base of its tail and it started licking the air and moving his head funny, making passing-by students look at the two of us funny (I was standing on tip-toe and grinning like an idiot)


Scarlett on the printer. Her ears look bigger than they really are in this picture; her ears are actually quite tiny.


And now, Sam interrupting my research project's work and general computer faring by wanting belly rubs. He's really clingy lately, probably because I'm spending a lot of time in university and with the BF and he's missing me (aww, sweet little bunny)


Belly rubs!!


Belleh rubs!


Gimmi belleh rubs or I won't let you type! (and kill you with teh cute)


Thus ends another episode of Sam and Scarlett's horrible, rough life.

Semester so far & Book report

Semester stuff: How's the semester so far? Just fine, I'm waiting for the shit to hit the fan on some of the subjects but things look pretty OK so far. Animal Behavior is damn facinating, Genetics is cool, Biochemistry A and Animal Physiology's boring but tolerable, Experiment Analysis and Microbiology Lab is fine.
Unlike last year's lazing about (from ignorance of what tests are like in uni, not intirely out of laziness) I'm summerizing classes twice a week to stay in touch with the material and, also, there's far less material than last year's semesters.

This semester's favorit lecturers are the Biochemistry A proff and the Experiment Analysis lecturer.
Biochemistry proff is an israeli arab (because, aparently, we don't really treat our arabian citizens in aparthide style...) with an endearing sense of humor and a compassionate heart for the students facing his material's complexity. He knows when to gives a break when we're getting too sleepy and treats student questions with philosophy and respect where other lecturers would snob them out. Another respectable thing in the guy is the fact that when he doesn't know the answer to a student's question he'll just say he doesn't know.
Experiment Analysis is basically a course where we take a subject (the Ligioners' desease' bacteria for my group) and try to slowely patch together a do-able, reasonable experiment. The lecturer starts each class with a problem ("how to find which kind of mutant the ligionella bacteria you recieved in the mail today are") and shoots down our sprouting, green ideas like an expert AA battery ^_^ better him teach us the art of making reasonable research suggestions than our future professors, says I (from bitter experience...). The lecturer has a heavy stutter which he reins into control by focusing (and often slips when he's distracted) but he's still giving the classes with a sweet humorous atmosphere and a lot of brains. Fascinating stuff.

Book report: Finished reading Steve Jones' Almost Like A Whale. Damn wonderful book, honestly. I started reading it a little before the strike ended and was immediately glad for the little treasure box ofchances to refresh last year's ecology and taxonomy material. You'll find everything in Jones' book; ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology, bacteriology, history, poetry, logic. Jones' style is wonderfully readable and elegantly addictive but most of all, it's simple and informative with a healthy dash of good, sharp humor. With very, very little mindless judgment to anyone (not even the 'monster' of creationism as so many american scientists are rediculously buzzing about) every argument for and against evolution is well represented, dealt with and explained in deep but not boring details. There wasnt a dull moment in this book and it managed to keep my attention without lapsing into petty anecdotes or meaningless detail scattering. A great, highly recommended book alltogether.

Next on my reading list: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game which beloved boyfriend got me (*squee*)

And now an update: L'Oreal and Unilever decide to remove shark liver oil from their products now if only L'Oreal would completely stop experimenting its products of animals, I'll be its happy consumer.

Kitty pictures

There are changes developing on both work front and university strike front, but both are yet resolved so I'll wait until there'll be something to share.

In the meantime; I've got kitty pictures!! I know you enjoy 'em and so here they are.

Spread out evenly.


Sam in his lion den cat tunnel.


All curled up and fluffy.


Getting cynical and annoyed with camera!mom.


Scarlett, nursing curling up with mom under the blanket.


Zzzz


When I finally have some time to sit to the computer, this is what happens; Scarlett wants to poke her fluffy sweet little nose into what I do.


Most unladylike.


"Leave me alone already, moooom!"


Note the fluff pantaloons.


Sam's really beginning to spill out of his bowl; he's just gotten too big for it >.<


And last but definitely not least; BF (who goes by the name of Ofer) and his complimentary cat - Tuli


More updates later (probably tomorrow)

I am alive (or so it seems)

* I've worked six days this week, without even noticing it...damn, how did it come to this? Well, with nine days until the semester is due to be canceled by the strike for good and the professors still not willing to settle (they didn't show up to a meeting about it scheduled for yesturday...) it seems I still have time to keep gaining a financial fat layer before the disaster of how this academic year will look when it's finally started again will ruin any chance of me ever having a life beyond work and study.

* Speaking of life, me and the BF have a one month anniversary tomorrow (*squee*) and if I wasn't so cynical and shy I'd tell you exactly what I feel about it.

* I've updated my flicker account with some new pictures, including all my old hyrax pictures. As I was writing comments for each picture, I noticed how this stupid project and the treatment I get from the project guide didn't mar my enthusiasm for these strange little beasts. *sigh*

* Finished Mists of Avalon. Have you ever found yourself reading a book, knowing you're reading crap, but the writing style and the occasional promising plot twist kept you going?
Maybe I was fooled by Hallmark's production, Merlin, and I expected Morgaine to have a backbone to call her own. Zimmer Bradley took whatever hope I had of finding yet another female character to favor and crushed them; Morgaine is obsessed with who everyone marries and who gives birth to who as badly as the simple 'foolish' women she describes contemptibly.
The constant religious conversations were getting boring by the nine-hundredth time they were run and Zimmer Bradley's constant obsession with not taking sides or making too many snapping comments of Christianity were annoying.
Bradley gives no one a truly happy ending nor a revenge to any of the 'bad' characters and so leaves the reader with a sense of bitter disappointment. Sure, it was nice to read about the very early days of post-Roman england, but for god's sake; I could have picked up a history book and not this waste of time, energy and paper
However, watching Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, is a wonderful cleansing experience after this book...

Am now reading Steve Jones' Almost Like A Whale.

Stuff from life lately

* The company I work in has an evening out in a restaurant for the workers. Me and another girl are doing shift at the call center. I ask for food delivery and, as drinks to go with the food, we get diet coke....because all women are obsessed with their weight and want to drink diet...

* Signed up to the university gym with the BF to help BF get into shape together. I hate the atmosphere there, so full of people high on adrenalin and obsessed with how firm the other's butt is compared to theirs and how more defined their abs are than the abs of the guy on the next treadmill. However, said gym has a swimming pull, which is hella-cool.

* Mom and Dad had their birthday this week, dad's is tomorrow and mom's was this monday. Happy birthday parents!

* Still no sign of an end to the lecturers' strike and now there's both a deadline beyond which the semester (and the year, probably) will be canceled and a threat from the universities to get the lecturers back in the classrooms via court warrents.

* Staring at many hyrax pictures, I'm beginning to see two fur patterns repeating themselves. Whether I'm bothered with gracing my proff and project guide with this is questionable since I'm not sure they'll pay attention or take me seriously.

* Attention all LJ friends, you can sign in with your username when commenting on this blog ^_^

Updates...

Work's going a little easier on me this week, though I took two extra shifts beyond what was planned. These decent work weeks might be a little wearing but as long as the strike's going they can't harm too. much.

Went to see In The Valley of Elah which is a downright brilliant movie which I recommend you all to watch. It was very life-like and completely kitsch-less save for the last scene which I'll spare you the spoiling of, Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon act so naturally and realistically you can't see it's 'Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon' anymore, but instead you see their actual characters which is a bit tricky once an actor is famous enough, and Charlize Theron is brilliant in a zero-sexuality-full-character role. Go watch it, it's a very good movie.

Things with the (now official) boyfriend (*squee*) are going smoothly and lovely but I'll spare you the gushy stuff.

However I will share with you some very romantic new pics of Sam and Scarlett bonding:

Scarlett: What? I'm not squishing him...


Scarlett: He likes it, really...


Sam: Uh....mooooom


Sam: Mooooooooom!!


Awww, they're kissing (or trying to bite each other's face off, lord knows)


"And you, my dear, are no lady..."


Cat smear I


Cat smear II


End of pic spam ^_^