Category Archives: Cat

Cat, Random thoughts

Cats and Chinese food

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Lots of bloggers like to do year-end recaps.  2012 has been a pretty eventful year for me, and I could probably write a really long post about it and include tons of wedding pictures.  But maybe I’ve already written about myself enough?  Perhaps I’ll be inspired.

But today I just want to share yesterday with you.  I was active on social media (this is a shocker) and took a bunch of pictures, and you all know I enjoy re-sharing my pictures.  (And I like doing journal-type entries the best, honestly.  I don’t know if you find them interesting, but I enjoy writing them.)

The day started with a blogger meet up.  I belong to a facebook group made up of bloggers from the St Louis area.  I hadn’t made the past few meetings as they were on Friday nights and I work late and then usually am too tired to meet new people afterwards.  This one was on a Saturday morning and involved coffee, so I was excited.  It was kind of a meet up fail though, because it was just me and Lindsay.

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I was going to the gym afterwards, and figured that gym clothes, ponytail, and no makeup were totally appropriate for a blogger meet up. 

We had a great time chatting and drinking coffee at Deer Creek Coffee in Clayton.  We discussed everything from the tax implications of blogging to whether or not our husbands like to eat leftovers.  I was inspired by Lindsay’s energy and excitement about blogging and life in general! 

Maybe my next blogger meet up will include more people?

Then it was time to hit the gym.  I thought I felt fine but after I started working out I didn’t really.  Mike had originally planned a circuit of 1 minute sprint, front squats, and kettlebell swings (we squeezed in an extra workout because of my trip next week) but I almost passed out after the second sprint so he revised the workout.  (He actually asked if I wanted to go home and we could reschedule but I felt like I should soldier through.)  Oops.  I made it through the workout though, and I’m sure felt better for it!  That is, it was probably a huge waste and I should have taken him up on his “rescheduling” offer but I felt like a loser.  In retrospect I think he really wanted to go home as well since I was his last client, and he was drinking water just as fast as I was.

Nonetheless.  Shower and then work time.  Rarely is there a Saturday I don’t play a wedding and yesterday was no exception.

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St Charles!

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Gorgeous view of the…casino…

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Me having fun with my timer camera app while waiting for a cue.

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Leslie should appreciate my no ears hairstyle for the day.

After my gig, Chris and I decided to go out for Chinese food.  Our favorite place to go in St Louis is Wei Hong Bakery and Restaurant.  We discovered this place a few years ago and love it.  It’s very casual and fairly inexpensive and always delicious.  They say it’s pretty authentic too, but I have never been to China so I can’t vouch for that.  Maybe I should take my brother there next time he’s in town!

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I had hot and sour soup to start.

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And then a seafood tofu casserole.  They have this tofu that is called “egg tofu” on the menu—I suppose it has eggs in it (sorry Carrie and other vegans) but it is AMAZING.  It has the consistency of a custard or flan, and I could probably eat it for every meal.

Naturally our meal ended with a fortune cookie. 

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Me, impatient?  Never! 

Anyway, the last thing we were doing was meeting some friends who recently got engaged (!!) at Sasha’s.  But first I was lying on the couch watching TV and…

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How could I go anywhere with this guy on my lap?

I decided to destroy her evening by flipping her over for a picture…

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I wanted to get her belly in the picture, but my arms just aren’t that long!  I probably should have gotten Chris to take the picture but I didn’t think ahead.

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This picture is an example of how photography is all about angles.  She doesn’t look fat at all, does she?

And yet…

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Cat

I suppose every day is caturday

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By popular request:

There was a box in the corner.

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What is this?

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Why are you taking my picture, Hannah?

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Triumph!

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Almost all the way in!

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Time for a break…so tired! (There was a period of cleaning and grooming in here but none of those pictures turned out good enough.)image_2

This is very comfortable.

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There you go!

A friend asked why I didn’t take a video.  I didn’t think of it until after I took about a dozen pictures.

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Oh, and this happened on Twitter the other day.  Whatever, it’s not creepy.  Or I should say, whatever, nothing wrong with being creepy.

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Cat, Running

Last week of teaching

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I have the world’s most conscientious students.  I gave some of my students extra practice assignments yesterday telling them it was because we didn’t have lessons for three weeks (I LOVE that I have some students that will genuinely, truly, continue to practice over break—this is why they are progressing well and sound quite good on their instruments—I love it).  And from more than one student I got a blank stare and a question: why don’t we have lessons? When I reminded them it was because of Christmas and New Years…they were SHOCKED.  And they seemed sad about not having lessons.  (Yes, I felt pretty awesome that they were going to miss their lessons with me.)

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A delightful gift from some students

Look what I got in the “mail”!

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If you guessed, new running shoes that I should have bought a month ago but finally ordered on Sunday, you’d be correct.  (Mizuno Wave Nirvanas, and I ordered online because they are the same model I’ve been running in successfully, well, as successfully as I run, for a few years now.) I’ll be testing them out a little later this morning.  After I drink some coffee, stop bugging me.

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My toenail is still hanging on.  And is still awesome! (This is from running.  Not a freak accident.  Though, I have a huge bruise on my left wrist that I have NO IDEA how I got.  None.  And it’s gigantic.)

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I decided to make pumpkin bread for some gifts.  Note to readers:  do not double the recipe.  It will not fit into your mixer bowl and then you’ll have to work really hard in a giant mixing bowl carefully mixing by hand and trying not to spill everywhere.

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I got my haircut yesterday!  Does anyone else have trouble knowing where to look at the phone camera?

Yes, it looks basically the same as it always does.  I like my hairdo.  I was thinking about it the other day and looking around the women at the party, and debating getting a different haircut.  I looked at one of my friends and thought, oh her hair is really cute, I should do that, and then I realized her hair was basically just like mine but a little longer and wavier! So I decided to just stick with what was working.

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And, on that note.

Cat, Christmas

Everybody needs a little Caturday

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I have a busy day ahead, but I thought I’d pop in for a quick Caturday post, since it’s been awhile.

I know, I know.  Regular readers know that technically in my world, every day is Caturday.  Some people I meet in real life are surprised to learn I actually only “own” one cat.  (Does anyone really “own” a cat?)

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I love the “no arms and legs” look.  WHO SET THAT CAT DOWN HERE?

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This was a funny picture to me because I feel like she should take up more room on the chair than she does.  Odd, right?

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This is Albergo, my sister’s cat.  He is in a box. She sent that to me with the caption “First I had a box.  Then I had a cat.”

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And this is not a cat at all, but our Christmas Tree.  We decorated it last night.  I loved coming downstairs this morning and seeing it again!

I’ll leave you today with this picture that made me giggle.

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Cat

Which is cuter?

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Did you see that quiz going around the other day?  I think you all need to take it: Which is cuter?

I got most of them wrong.  So did Chris, who became increasingly frustrated AND amused by the answers. 

Test: (Please leave a comment with your answers, and yes, this is a test)

Part one: Tell me how you did on the quiz, and what your favorite answer was!

Part two: Which of the above pictures of my cat is cuter, and why?

Cat, Teaching

Thoughts on students and my cat’s twin

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You may recall we have moved recently.  I teach out of my house a couple of days, and the younger kids are always most interested in the changes. 

For instance, we are renting a single family home that used to be a duplex—only the thing is, because of some city law, the duplex doors must remain.  So we have two front doors.  The students are FASCINATED by this, and often try to come in and go out a different door each time.

The other day one of my students wanted to wash his hands.  I took him down the hall to the bathroom, and he needed help turning the faucet on (a bit too high for little people).  As he was washing he looks around and then says, "It seems you don’t live here alone."  He seemed really disappointed when I said, "why, yes, I live with my husband."  I’m guessing he was hoping I would say, "why, you are correct, I live here with my five year old son who wants to go play with you rather than learn the violin!  Why don’t you do that for the next 30 minutes?" 

On the way out, this same student looked into our {rather empty as we haven’t yet found a dining room table we like} front room and asked, "Why don’t you have any furniture?"

Funny student stories aren’t limited to my home students though.  My school students are equally entertaining.

The other day at my school one of my students came in and said "You look really pale."

Other students always like to comment on my makeup, or if I have something weird (like a large zit) happening on my face, or if my nose is red.  I also get lots of comments on my shoes or my outfits generally, or on my hands (fingernail biting and worse…"Why does somebody so pretty have such ugly hands?" a small child once queried).  I think what’s most fun about the kids is that they will just ask a question when they think of it rather than worry about the politeness of it—and I do my best to answer.  I imagine if they asked something that was really inappropriate I’d let them know, but usually it’s a perfectly good question:  "Did you know you have a brown stain on your nose?" while drinking coffee for instance…it’s nice that SOMEONE is willing to point these things out!

What is that cat-shaped blob in the corner?

My friend Valentina posted these pictures on my facebook "timeline" last night.  She saw this cat while on vacation in Italy (?).  Isn’t that wild how much like my cat this one looks?  Even down to the soft rounded tummy, lighter colored paw, and sleeping ability. Thanks for sharing the photos, Valentina (hope you don’t mind I blogged them 😉 )!!  I am so delighted by this cat.