I'm taking today and tomorrow off* from work so that we can get our new front and side doors installed, wooo! The guys haven't shown up yet to do that but they should be here any minute. In the meantime, the repair crew is here working on the leak in our roof and making the bathroom all lovely again!
We had the bathroom redone in January, you may recall. During the summer rain storms we noticed a couple unusual events -- water dripping from the new ceiling vent, and damage to the drywall of the ceiling due to water. After chasing the construction company for a month (during their busiest period) they finally managed to arrange repairs today (yay!).
Punchline: turns out it's not their fault. The leak is on our plumbing stack which was installed during the childhood of Stephen Harper's parents (approximately). They fixed it anyway, plus finished some caulking they didn't do in January, and sounds like the company won't charge me for the work even though I offered. Yay!
The cats are trapped in the basement room with all this door-opening and banging though, and are unimpressed. I shall visit them regularly, he said gallantly.
* "off-asterisk" is just like off except that I'm still doing work sometimes. It's not really the most fun I've ever had.
We had the bathroom redone in January, you may recall. During the summer rain storms we noticed a couple unusual events -- water dripping from the new ceiling vent, and damage to the drywall of the ceiling due to water. After chasing the construction company for a month (during their busiest period) they finally managed to arrange repairs today (yay!).
Punchline: turns out it's not their fault. The leak is on our plumbing stack which was installed during the childhood of Stephen Harper's parents (approximately). They fixed it anyway, plus finished some caulking they didn't do in January, and sounds like the company won't charge me for the work even though I offered. Yay!
The cats are trapped in the basement room with all this door-opening and banging though, and are unimpressed. I shall visit them regularly, he said gallantly.
* "off-asterisk" is just like off except that I'm still doing work sometimes. It's not really the most fun I've ever had.
I have a serious problem that I need the internet to fix for me!
In the movie Go, there is a cat at the drug dealer's place which interacts with one of the characters. Up until tonight, we were convinced that this cat was listed in the credits, and we gave Lucky (pictured) his name based on it: Princess Leah Lucky Buttons. (Lucky's full name is Prince Leo Lucky Buttons)
However, it turns out that the cat in the credits is the other cat, the one that's in the alley with Manni the next day. And the cat with the speaking role is uncredited! That's gotta be against equity rules.
I have searched the internet for almost eight minutes and it hasn't resolved this problem. Can you?
In the movie Go, there is a cat at the drug dealer's place which interacts with one of the characters. Up until tonight, we were convinced that this cat was listed in the credits, and we gave Lucky (pictured) his name based on it: Princess Leah Lucky Buttons. (Lucky's full name is Prince Leo Lucky Buttons)
However, it turns out that the cat in the credits is the other cat, the one that's in the alley with Manni the next day. And the cat with the speaking role is uncredited! That's gotta be against equity rules.
I have searched the internet for almost eight minutes and it hasn't resolved this problem. Can you?
We're home from Wasaga Beach - woo! Great fun, lots of sun and playing in the lake. We were gone from Saturday morning until Monday afternoon, and the cats were fed by a friend on Saturday evening.
Unfortunately, said friend accidentally closed the door to the basement before he left.
The cat litter is in the basement.
The cats were not impressed.
They tried really hard, but couldn't keep it all in for 48 hours. So Action Cat's favourite giant floor pillow became a litter box, and the bathroom mat became a litter box.
Said friend also left the door to our bedroom open.
So the wonderful duvet on our bed also became a litter box.
Augh.
Cats really don't like that -- they weren't punishing us, they were trying to hide it but had few options to choose from. The shit in the bed was actually "buried", in a sense, in the covers. And the cats were quite quiet when we got home.
I'm removing that goddamned door.
Unfortunately, said friend accidentally closed the door to the basement before he left.
The cat litter is in the basement.
The cats were not impressed.
They tried really hard, but couldn't keep it all in for 48 hours. So Action Cat's favourite giant floor pillow became a litter box, and the bathroom mat became a litter box.
Said friend also left the door to our bedroom open.
So the wonderful duvet on our bed also became a litter box.
Augh.
Cats really don't like that -- they weren't punishing us, they were trying to hide it but had few options to choose from. The shit in the bed was actually "buried", in a sense, in the covers. And the cats were quite quiet when we got home.
I'm removing that goddamned door.
Cute Cats Seek Temporary Servant
Jun. 28th, 2007 05:48 pmAs dictated to ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
c9:
c9:Hello, humans.
Our current servants are leaving town for three weekends in August, and we require a domestic to do our bidding on August 5th, 11th, 12th, 31st, and September 1st for an hour each day. Please reply post-haste if you are intelligent enough to visit us, feed us, and pet us for a few minutes. I'm sure any one of you would be better than that cursed robot vacuum. The human with the curly hair is talking about programming it to feed us. Impossible, I'm sure.
Meow.
Roomba Day One
May. 27th, 2007 09:21 pmI picked up the new Roomba today, and got to play with it a little bit. I've read about how they work enough that I haven't bothered to look at the remote or the nifty virtual walls that allow you to restrict the Roomba's movements, I just played a bit with Roomba itself. (Himself?)
First, the living room. We were sitting around with Tyler and the room was cluttered, but it did pretty well. Note to self: fix the cords that are on the floor and get them safely out of the way for future. We had to go, so no full cleaning or anything. Roomba already showed strong intelligence though, going right under the couch and staying there for a while.
It can change floor types pretty easily, even at a minor height change, so it found its way into the kitchen, and then the foyer, quite easily. It couldn't get from the foyer to the living room though -- our divider is a stone piece that's over 1cm above the floor, which triggers the bumper.
(The bumper cushions the impact when Roomba hits something, and also triggers the "turn and try something different" instruction. They're actually quite complicated in the way they handle obstacles, judging by the neat shape-following I saw today. I'd love to get a look at the high-level design of the software.)
Later, I decided it was time for a challenge. As mentioned previously, the basement in our house is quite messy, and has fun features that will continue to generate mess even after thorough cleaning, such as the cat littler and the crumbling concrete in a few spots. I let it go to town down there for as long as it wanted, since there was nothing dangerous and very little clutter. I stopped it once to clean out the dirt collector, but otherwise it just puttered away for about an hour, then with a "ta-daa" (in beeping form) it was done. The basement is pretty good -- not 100%, but certainly 90%+. I wouldn't have been willing to spend the time required to get that far today, due to other commitments, so we're definitely ahead.
The cats are not fans of the Roomba of course, but they watched from halfway up the stairs where they were in a safe position of power over this weird noisy thing in their house. No pouncing, but a little bit of plaintive stares, as if to say, "Oh my god, human, we just got over that damned dog you brought over last week. Seriously, what did we do?"
The previous owner who auctioned it had a friendly fully-grown German Shepherd Dog (or Alsatian) that was afraid of it, so it had to go. Ha!
Noise levels: not enough to be a bother, but definitely noisy. Compared to a full-size vacuum it's quite quiet, but compared to relaxing with a book it's very loud. So I think we'll just run it when we leave to go somewhere, that way the cats can run around with it and we don't have to listen to it.
First, the living room. We were sitting around with Tyler and the room was cluttered, but it did pretty well. Note to self: fix the cords that are on the floor and get them safely out of the way for future. We had to go, so no full cleaning or anything. Roomba already showed strong intelligence though, going right under the couch and staying there for a while.
It can change floor types pretty easily, even at a minor height change, so it found its way into the kitchen, and then the foyer, quite easily. It couldn't get from the foyer to the living room though -- our divider is a stone piece that's over 1cm above the floor, which triggers the bumper.
(The bumper cushions the impact when Roomba hits something, and also triggers the "turn and try something different" instruction. They're actually quite complicated in the way they handle obstacles, judging by the neat shape-following I saw today. I'd love to get a look at the high-level design of the software.)
Later, I decided it was time for a challenge. As mentioned previously, the basement in our house is quite messy, and has fun features that will continue to generate mess even after thorough cleaning, such as the cat littler and the crumbling concrete in a few spots. I let it go to town down there for as long as it wanted, since there was nothing dangerous and very little clutter. I stopped it once to clean out the dirt collector, but otherwise it just puttered away for about an hour, then with a "ta-daa" (in beeping form) it was done. The basement is pretty good -- not 100%, but certainly 90%+. I wouldn't have been willing to spend the time required to get that far today, due to other commitments, so we're definitely ahead.
The cats are not fans of the Roomba of course, but they watched from halfway up the stairs where they were in a safe position of power over this weird noisy thing in their house. No pouncing, but a little bit of plaintive stares, as if to say, "Oh my god, human, we just got over that damned dog you brought over last week. Seriously, what did we do?"
The previous owner who auctioned it had a friendly fully-grown German Shepherd Dog (or Alsatian) that was afraid of it, so it had to go. Ha!
Noise levels: not enough to be a bother, but definitely noisy. Compared to a full-size vacuum it's quite quiet, but compared to relaxing with a book it's very loud. So I think we'll just run it when we leave to go somewhere, that way the cats can run around with it and we don't have to listen to it.
Do you have a leeecense for that minkey?
Apr. 26th, 2007 10:03 pmI learned recently from a transit ad that our cats must be licensed to live in Toronto. No word on whether we need to be licensed too.
I had to go on a bit of a wildgoosecat chase (not literally), since the cats' microchip company information was in the basement, incorrect, and it turns out no longer in business! I eventually found the information I needed after a while on hold with a former competitor, and got them registered with the chip company.
Finally after all that I licensed the damn cats with the city. They'll get new tags to go with their pretty tags we bought, and we'll get regular demands for money and vaccinations from the city I bet. Since they're indoor cats, we probably could have gotten away with not registering them, but oh well. If I want people to recycle, I should follow other rules.
The city's ePet site has a FAQ, and this snippet made me giggle.
I had to go on a bit of a wild
Finally after all that I licensed the damn cats with the city. They'll get new tags to go with their pretty tags we bought, and we'll get regular demands for money and vaccinations from the city I bet. Since they're indoor cats, we probably could have gotten away with not registering them, but oh well. If I want people to recycle, I should follow other rules.
The city's ePet site has a FAQ, and this snippet made me giggle.
Should I let my cat go outside?
Outdoor cats live a life that is a mystery to their owners.
Things I Learned Today
Apr. 8th, 2007 12:38 pm- Pen caps are not an appropriate way to prop open those stupid old-fashioned furnace vents in the bedroom, because the caps will regularly fall into the vent.
- That mirror at the front door was there a long time, and now the wood underneath (which was beautiful) is exposed (but terribly damaged from paint, glue, and whatnot).
- There is a higher percentage of English-as-mother-tongue speakers in our ward than in Toronto overall. I did not expect this, from my limited experience thus far.
- The wires I use to run internet radio through the stereo are either damaged or too short.
- The cheap-ass kitty litter I bought at IGA is pretty low-quality. Imagine!
Pete Form Update
Feb. 26th, 2007 08:20 am- I was in a movie that was filmed in Halifax, The Event, which was directed by Thom Fitzgerald of The Hanging Garden fame, and starred Don McKellar and Brent Carver. Woo! Anyway, I was just an extra, but I never saw the movie until last night. I bought a screener that was illegally on sale at the used bookstore down the street, and I actually made it into the movie! Well, the back of my head, due to the arrangement of the scene. Problem is I can't figure out how to get a proper screenshot yet, so I can't point myself out.
- I'm pleased to tell you that Operation Feline Collar Force was a success after phase 2. Phase 2 involves collars that can't be unbuckled by non-opposable-thumbed species. So now our cats are a little safer when they run out into the neighbourhood against our wishes.
- My company's new website has finally been launched. There was some difficulty with the firm hired to do it originally, leading to this insane "nine months after the company name change" launch timeframe. It's still buggy, so we're doing heavy beta testing internally while "soft-launching" to customers.
- I'm really not ready for a Monday yet.
Unimpressed Cats
Feb. 17th, 2007 07:05 pmSince we're moving to a house, where the cats could escape and not have to figure out an elevator before they reach the big bad world, we purchased new collars and tags for them today.
When we first got them, we got tags as well -- you can see Lucky's in my icon.
To get them accustomed to the tags and collars before we move -- since the move itself will present the most opportunities for escape -- we put them on them tonight. Colour them unimpressed.
I got their names, address, and phone number on the little tag -- hooray for computer-controlled engraving! We would have just kept the old tags, but they had our Kitchener phone number, so we had to replace them once we learned our new number today.
It's amazing the number of different, excessively decorated, cat collars there are out there. Sequins, embroidered, bells, colours -- it's nuts. We bought the crappy ones but bought the expensive tags -- yay for shiny!
When we first got them, we got tags as well -- you can see Lucky's in my icon.
To get them accustomed to the tags and collars before we move -- since the move itself will present the most opportunities for escape -- we put them on them tonight. Colour them unimpressed.
I got their names, address, and phone number on the little tag -- hooray for computer-controlled engraving! We would have just kept the old tags, but they had our Kitchener phone number, so we had to replace them once we learned our new number today.
It's amazing the number of different, excessively decorated, cat collars there are out there. Sequins, embroidered, bells, colours -- it's nuts. We bought the crappy ones but bought the expensive tags -- yay for shiny!
The Weather
Jan. 11th, 2007 08:39 pmWeather reports...
...for Charlottetown, PEI: freezing cold
...for Cam's head and stomach: pained and uncomfortable
...for the condo: unsold
...for the condo's carpet: pukey
...for condo resident Lucky: on thin ice
...for Vincent: frustrated
...for Charlottetown, PEI: freezing cold
...for Cam's head and stomach: pained and uncomfortable
...for the condo: unsold
...for the condo's carpet: pukey
...for condo resident Lucky: on thin ice
...for Vincent: frustrated
Urgent Request
Nov. 16th, 2006 03:56 pmPlease think non-hairball-related thoughts for the next four hours.
Thank you.
(the people who viewed our condo today at 2pm are going back tonight at 7pm. Vincent and I are in Toronto today and cannot get home to fix any cat surprises beforehand. The chances are very slim since Lucky's last hairball was only Monday -- typically they're weeks apart -- but wouldn't it be great to learn the hard way that it's not always weeks?)
Thank you.
(the people who viewed our condo today at 2pm are going back tonight at 7pm. Vincent and I are in Toronto today and cannot get home to fix any cat surprises beforehand. The chances are very slim since Lucky's last hairball was only Monday -- typically they're weeks apart -- but wouldn't it be great to learn the hard way that it's not always weeks?)
5 Things that remind me of Things
Aug. 13th, 2006 12:18 am1. Every time I walk by the payphone at the office, it has on the screen, "Please lift receiver." Seriously 100.0% of the time, I think of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jdhorner's story of confusion over why Montrealers kept walking up to phones, lifting the receivers, then putting them back again.
2. More recently, whenever I take two inner slices of bread from the bag, and return the heel of the loaf to its end position, I think ofmsvu20's belief that it has a supernatural protective power, protecting the other slices from harm.
3. We have a squeegee in our shower, which we use to reduce the effect of the horrid, horrid KW water on our not all that special really shower tiles. Being a good geek, I have a pattern to using it. Every time I reach one spot in this wiping pattern, I think of my little brother. I have no idea why.
4. Our cat Lucky has similar colouring to a cat I had in high school named Winnie. I often almost call Lucky by her name instead. We have a program on the computer that cycles through our digital photos and displays them on the desktop while we're working (it's called Vital Desktop in case you're curious). In the collection there is only one picture of Winnie, but oddly when I see it I never recognize her. She doesn't seem familiar to me at all. It's like my brain has decided that Lucky looks more like Winnie than Winnie did.
5. The disposable cameras at our wedding were of a low quality (Loblaws brand; I'm cheap), and the lenses were not very good in some, leading to warped images. It's only visible when a person is on the edge of the frame. There's a picture that we love ofleapfish and our friend David (his best man David's boyfriend -- yes, David & David) smiling at the camera, but Vin is on the edge of the frame and is stretched slightly. Every time I look at this photo, I think of Quentin Tarantino. Just a little.
I dare you to think up things that remind you of things but not include any sex-related ones.
jdhorner's story of confusion over why Montrealers kept walking up to phones, lifting the receivers, then putting them back again.2. More recently, whenever I take two inner slices of bread from the bag, and return the heel of the loaf to its end position, I think of
msvu20's belief that it has a supernatural protective power, protecting the other slices from harm.3. We have a squeegee in our shower, which we use to reduce the effect of the horrid, horrid KW water on our not all that special really shower tiles. Being a good geek, I have a pattern to using it. Every time I reach one spot in this wiping pattern, I think of my little brother. I have no idea why.
4. Our cat Lucky has similar colouring to a cat I had in high school named Winnie. I often almost call Lucky by her name instead. We have a program on the computer that cycles through our digital photos and displays them on the desktop while we're working (it's called Vital Desktop in case you're curious). In the collection there is only one picture of Winnie, but oddly when I see it I never recognize her. She doesn't seem familiar to me at all. It's like my brain has decided that Lucky looks more like Winnie than Winnie did.
5. The disposable cameras at our wedding were of a low quality (Loblaws brand; I'm cheap), and the lenses were not very good in some, leading to warped images. It's only visible when a person is on the edge of the frame. There's a picture that we love of
leapfish and our friend David (his best man David's boyfriend -- yes, David & David) smiling at the camera, but Vin is on the edge of the frame and is stretched slightly. Every time I look at this photo, I think of Quentin Tarantino. Just a little.I dare you to think up things that remind you of things but not include any sex-related ones.
Catsus 2006
May. 2nd, 2006 08:31 pmLucky and Action Cat are understandably upset that they don't get counted in the 2006 Canadian Census*. Therefore I record them for posterity here. Not all questions appear in the Canadian Census.
* Or maybe because they haven't gotten dinner yet.
Question Cat 1 Cat 2 Name Action Francis Cat Prince Leo Luckybuttons Age 3-4 years (we don't know) 3-4 years (we don't know) Sex Male (neutered) Male (neutered) Current Address Living room floor (stretching for dear life) Front hall (guarding guest bathroom) Normal Address Beside my backpack, front hall. Black fur-covered chair, sunroom. Alternate address Cardboard box, front hall closet. Carpet underneath KLACKBO chair, living room. Employment situation Unemployed, living off the paycheques of his staff. Unemployed, living off the paycheques of his staff. Unable to work due to disability? Possibly. I stepped on his leg in the dark on Sunday, and he was cranky (but completely mobile) for 24 hours. May consult Workers' Comp. Possibly. He is not the brightest cat. Responds to own name? Yes Yes Responds to "Dennis!" Yes Yes Number of hours spent on unpaid housework last week, such as laundry or dishes: -1 (causes us to have to clean) -3 (sheds more) Languages spoken: Cat Cat
* Or maybe because they haven't gotten dinner yet.
While their Mexican heritage is somewhat suspect*, I can now happily say the cats are legal citizens at Queen's Place Condominiums!
Our condo board has a "one pet, and if it's annoying, zero pets" rule. We knew that when we moved it. Then we got two cats (we didn't want a lonely pet). But thanks to this decision, the cats are now allowed to stay!
Basically, because we've had the superintendent and the condo board president in our unit, but they have not asked us to remove one of the cats, the cats are now legal. Woohoo!
* This is meant to be a joking reference to the huge illegal US population that the government is trying to figure out how to turn into legal citizens without inviting millions more to run for the border tomorrow.
Our condo board has a "one pet, and if it's annoying, zero pets" rule. We knew that when we moved it. Then we got two cats (we didn't want a lonely pet). But thanks to this decision, the cats are now allowed to stay!
Basically, because we've had the superintendent and the condo board president in our unit, but they have not asked us to remove one of the cats, the cats are now legal. Woohoo!
* This is meant to be a joking reference to the huge illegal US population that the government is trying to figure out how to turn into legal citizens without inviting millions more to run for the border tomorrow.
Legal Name Change
Mar. 12th, 2006 12:19 amAction Cat's new name is now Action Francis Cat. This is to facilitate the expression of anger over his being underfoot all the time, by allowing the use of his full name in times of duress.
That is all.
That is all.
