Dear Chest Cold,

It's not at all nice to infect all of us at once; I mean, how many horrible hacking coughs can one hoursehold have? Too many, I say. How about you let up on a few of us? I'm getting real sick of being sick, and certain members of this family cough way too loudly way too often for the rest of us to sleep.

Sincerely,
Me

Right now:

• I just took a very unsatisfactory shower (the thing broke and they only got it half fixed before the holiday), but I feel better anyway
• I have a horrible cold--sore throat, coughing, mucus, the whole deal
• I broke my favorite teacup while I was busy not sleeping last night because my arm was just enough asleep (when the rest of me wasn't) to affect my grip
• Mom replaced it with her antique Chinese tea cup from when we lived overseas, and it's lovely, but now I'm afraid I'm going to break that one, too
• Nasal irrigation is really gross when you have a head cold, but it helps so much
• I wish City of Bones was out already so that I can go see it right now
• Making nail polish has made my synaesthesia more noticeable; I'm always concerned about what color things are now, and it's a little weird, but also feels like I'm using my brain for the right things for the first time in a long time
• I had no less than five ideas for middle-grade stories series the other day; I've never written middle-grade. Now I feel the need to read a bunch of it to refresh my mind on how it works.
• I'm suddenly in love with the Rubaiyat poem structure; lets see if anything comes of it
• My feet are cold, but there's tea in my belly
• I've been having a melancholy week; this holiday season is off to a great start, mentally and emotionally (sarcasm mark)
• I can't wait until I get all my books up here and out of storage; I'm dying to reread some of them

Shonagonisms: Things I know from living with a cat

• You don't own a cat; they just sort of agree to live in your house and act like it's theirs.
• You can't train a cat, but they can totally train you.
• Scoop the litter box all the time--like, every time you look at it--to keep the cat from peeing on anything else.
• Corollary: Keep the litter box as close to the toilet as possible to facilitate easy scooping.
• The stinkier the food and the closer you feed them to your bed, the more the cat will love the food.
• A warm cat on a cold day is proof that god loves us.
• It's totally not weird to refer to cats as 'babies' even after they've been alive for more than a decade.
• Expensive cat toys will be ignored; gum wrappers, scraps of paper, old string, these are acceptable and fun, but only when you're not looking.
• Other cats are all jerks to your favorite cat, even when they're getting along.
• Catbeds are unneccessary; stacks of papers you need to access, narrow spaces that shouldn't be lay-on-able, your pillow when you need it, the middle of your view of the TV, the middle of the book you're currently reading, these are all places for cats to sleep.
• A kitten sitting on your foot is the best reason not to get up and do something you don't want to do anyway.
• Cats can take care of themselves, they just like it better when you do.
• Furry alarm clocks are more accurate than mechanical ones.
• It's totally reasonable to spend a day following sunspots through the house.
• Every cat remembers, from before it was born, that it's related to lions and was once a god. Act accordingly.

Monthly Me: November 2012

Unpacking the trunk of the car, the stupid hood fell on my face.
My feet are a mess.
Laser cats totally attacked me and I got photographic proof!
The house is all full of weird unintentional tableaux.

Monday Inspiration - Harry S. Truman

"It's not the hand that signs the laws that holds the destiny of America. It's the hand that casts the ballot."

- Harry S. Truman

Today's inspiration comes from The Daily Love email!