(Warning:  This post started out nice and relaxed, and then things got out of control.  There may be cute overload further down the page.  Reader beware!)

I know I post cat pictures more often than not.  But whatever, it’s CATURDAY!  (Actually, full disclosure.  I’m writing this on Friday night.  We had an outdoor wedding, temperature 102, followed by dinner at Riverbend and perhaps a few too many raspberry vodka tonics, but I deserved it, dammit!  IT’S CATURDAY SOMEWHERE!)

That’s Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee.  I imagine a cat would enjoy it, hence it’s relevance here.

Her favorite seat:  next to Chris on the papasan chair.  Side note:  we got a new couch and chair today for the new place, and we may not really be using the papasan so much.  Personally I haven’t really sat in the papasan in about 5 years or more, but Chris loves it.  I guess he’s looking forward to the new furniture though.

Pretty cool, right?  It’s a mullet type couch.  Leather on the bottom, some other softer material on the top.  And we got a matching chair as well.

I’m sure the fatness will like that!  Or the dog.  Chris wants to get a dog.  I guess compromise is part of marriage, huh? 

Okay, next.  I know I shared this yesterday but I’m sharing again because I love it.

So soft and furry.  SO soft and furry.

Fatness in the window. 

Oh, quick FYI, if you didn’t know.  Officially her name is Oistrakh.  I had another cat named Heifetz, and then I got the Fatness (who was a tiny, 5 week old kitty) and named her Oistrakh, who is another amazing violinist like Heifetz, but that was too hefty of a name for a tiny kitty.  So we called her "little kitty" until one day we realized she wasn’t little any more.  For awhile we called her fatty, but she was so entitled we started calling her "her royal fatness" and then also "the fat ham" because of that Family Guy episode where Chris is accused of having a ham under his shirt…anyway, that transitioned into simply "the Fatness". 

Heifetz and "Little Kitty"

Heifetz, my first cat.  SO beautiful she was. And sweet.  She loved the violin, unlike the Fatness.

I think her head is still the same size?  (Seriously, I just can’t with this picture.  It’s ridiculous.  I don’t even know.)

And this one. SO FREAKING CUTE I THINK I’M GOING TO CRY.

(Okay, seriously, how ugly was my couch? And how cute is that adorable creature??)

Okay, back to the present day.  You can see that while her size has changed, her personality hasn’t.

 

Sometimes I’m frightened of how much I love the Fatness.  I’m scared that I’ll come home one day and she’ll be gone.  That happened with Heifetz…she was just in the closet…dead…and the Fatness was freaking out.  I still get teary when I think about it.  And I know that someday the Fatness will die too, as my friend Alex said, pets are little tragedies…

But until then.  As much as I get annoyed at her in the morning when she tries to wake up me up (by slowly moving things around like my glasses or my phone)…I love her fiercely and with abandon.

Leslie (right) and I have always been cat lovers.  And tan.

I was contacted by Vega Protein Powder about getting some free samples of their product as well as giving my readers and followers some samples.  Now, you all know that I eat (drink? use? mainline?) protein powder every morning in my oatmeal, and I also often make a protein shake after workouts, depending on if I remember or have time.  So when they asked if I’d like some samples, I said sure.  I mean really, this blog is obviously taking off:  free protein powder, free shoes, free Saucy Soiree tickets.  I’m raking it in here, and YOU can say you knew me before I was big.  (Unless you’re just meeting me now.  Too late.)

(Go here to see a hilarious bit from The Office about protein powder.)

Honestly though, it’s fun, but of course I write for me (for me, not for you.  Don’t forget!)  I won’t say no to free samples, but (and I know everybody says this, but it’s true) I would never push anything on you, and I won’t lie about liking something that I don’t like.

So here’s the deal.  I have no idea what this stuff is like, because I haven’t gotten my samples yet, but you can sign up for a bit of junk email and get a free sample for yourself.  Maybe it’s terrible, maybe it’s awesome, but it is probably worth trying if you are a protein powder user like me.  And it’s 100% plant based—so if that is a concern of yours, you’re good to go!  (Though the small print implies it might be made in a facility that processes chocolate which might contain dairy and soy, so depending on your level of paranoia/seriousness you’ll want to be wary, as with anything processed.)

Go here to sign up for your free sample.

Okay part two.  I promised you kitties.

My kitty!

And that is the funniest thing I saw on the internet this week.  Can anybody top it?

What a cutie pie! He’s getting too big to hold upright on my lap without his legs bending.  And yeah, I’ll just admit, I actually do really enjoy holding the darned baby.  He’s super cute and his feet are very soft and his legs are all squishy.  He almost weighs as much as my cat now!

I went over to hang out with Laura and Benny yesterday afternoon.  After that Chris and I had a reservation at Five Bistro.  We had been once before, several years ago and remembered it was fantastic.  The menu changes daily and they use local ingredients.

I had the trout.  Oddly off the menu, even though the menu changes daily.  I was afraid to ask.  We split the pork belly appetizer and Chris had the beef tenderloin.  It was delicious, but we thought a bit overpriced.  I know it’s not a huge difference between a $25 and a $30 entree, but somehow it feels like it.  For instance, I wanted to try the caesar salad (off menu also, $9) but just couldn’t bring myself to order a $9 salad.  Weird, right.  $7 I wouldn’t have questioned it.  Oh well.  Dinner was delicious however.  And I know restaurants have really small profit margins, but I guess we just felt it was too much.  Like I said, delicious though.

Afterwards we walked a couple of blocks to Gelato Di Riso.  I had the pistachio and coconut flavors and Chris had mint chip and chocolate.  Mine were good, but not the greatest combination together in one cup.  (Two flavors, one cup?)

Then we came home to try to beat the storms, plus I wanted to try to get to bed early for the 5k.  That didn’t actually happen, as the storms rolled in around 11:00 pm and kept me up well past midnight, but it was a valiant effort.

I learned a new trick.  Place magazines on couch.  Cat magically appears.  (Though I apologize, cat did not fit entirely into camera frame.)

Anyway, I’ll write about the 5k later.  Suffice it to say it was not in any way entirely downhill and that running is hard.  31:17.  Not my best, but my best effort on the day.  Now it’s time for a pedicure, rehearsal for a gig, and dinner and listening to bassoon excerpts. 

And Happy Father’s Day to my dad—may he reach his 10000 miles for the year soon if not already!

edited to add a picture:  Even though I think most people are posting pictures of them and their dads and generally just trying to get attention on various social media platforms that their fathers won’t even see…I know my dad does actually read my blog, at least on occasion.  I also know that he’s seen this picture before and honestly I suppose I’m doing the same—we paid enough for our wedding photos, best to keep using them, right Sarah Crowder? ;)  But whatever.  It’s my blog and I’ll be a hypocrite about it if I want to.

I barely remember this.  I was so nervous about walking down the aisle that I think I almost blacked out.  I found the whole ceremony to be terrifying—all those people looking at me.  Weird, right?  Oh, see, there I go, talking about myself.

I’d better step away from the computer now 🙂

I was talking about blogs with my friend Jen last night, and we were also talking about the blogs of other people we know.  She recently started reading Natalie’s blog, The Sweets Life (which is fantastic!), and actually made a couple of the recipes for a recent dinner party.  (We met Natalie at the Marathon Relay in November.)  Anyway, one of the comments Jen made was that my picture to text ratio was great and made my blog easy to read, and her only complaint (beside the fact that my blog overlaps a bit at the top of the page, yeah, sorry about that, and someday I’ll figure out how to fix it) was that sometimes my cat pictures were just a big blob of cat, without a delineation between cat and couch, or perhaps between cat belly and cat head.

I told her that there was no couch.  Just cat.

Cat eyes and flash do not mix well.  She looks like evil kitty here.

I think this is one of the pictures Jen was referring to.  Where does the cat end and the blanket and pillow begin?  Who knows…who cares??

She’s looking right at me here.  Judging me, as usual.  “Why are you always pointing that striped thing at me?” (My phone case is striped on the back.)

I’m so very tired and I need a nap.

Okay.  My cat may be just a wee bit overweight.  🙁

I was using my foot to pet her.  She was totally enjoying it, even though she was trying to pretend she wasn’t.

Self portrait.  Hannah and cat.  I sent this to Leslie who responded with…

Cat under a papasan chair.

And that’s about it for me.  Aren’t you really just relieved I’m not blogging about oatmeal today?

I forget when we started referring to the fatness as “the ham.”  Possibly before we started referring to her as the fatness (short for “her royal fatness”).  It was before Stephen Colbert coined “Ham Rove”.

Her body does resemble a ham.  Though it also resembles a football.  Or mashed potatoes.

Yeah, I know.  It’s Friday night, and I’m at home furiously texting and tweeting with one of my friends, and she made me this drawing.  I love it.  It’s better than her birthday drawing from the last blog post, because it involves my own picture.  Thank you!  (Oh, and she used my original instagrammed photo, and then I re-instagrammed it.  I think some hipsters may have been harmed during THAT operation.)

(and I apologize for the french sarcasm yesterday.  I mean, I don’t really speak french, but I’m not as dumb as I act.)

(and you all know I love my cat more than any sane person should.  her fatness is one of my favorite things about her.)

I already posted this to a facebook album last night, but I figured it would make a lovely Friday blog entry.  I presume you are all familiar with the concept behind "Stuff on my cat."

I was sitting on the couch watching some TV while waiting for a friend to call to go hang out.  My cat came to sit by me, and I got creative.

First I just took a picture of her because she is so darned cute.

But then I figured, why not?  And set the remote on her back.  She didn’t seem to mind.

Next the computer mouse (yes, I like to use a mouse for my laptop, it’s easier.)

Things started to get out of hand here.  After this I attempted the towel with ice pack but the ice pack kept sliding.

And after this I ran out of stuff—I would have had to get up to get more stuff to put on her and if I’d done that she likely would have gotten up.  I feel I did pretty well though!

And now I’m off to play a rehearsal and concert of the Music of Led Zeppelin with the St Louis Symphony :)  What are you doing this weekend?