BABYSITTING

I realised I haven’t done a blog post about cats in absolutely ages. It’s not that I’ve become bored of them – AS IF! I have just been without internet for a while so without further ado … LET’S TALK ABOUT CATS.

My friend from work has told me she is going away for the week and was struggling to think of anybody to look after and stay with her kitten whilst she was away. Needless to say, I told her, why are you looking any further than at me? She agreed, and I’m now babysitting for the week a three month old kitten – who despite his age is like a GIANT compared to my own cat. She is seven months but is still a little titchy thing! I vow to be the best temporary mother that this kitten has ever seen. I’ve even stocked up and got his favourite treats in the cupboard for when I go and see him.

I’m terrible for feeling guilty when I leave animals alone, especially at night. Even at the zoo, I feel bad leaving them there, I just feel like they need some company. Although animals in zoos probably love it when the public all go home. Back at my non student-y home, we keep the rabbits indoors so they don’t have to spend all their days outside and alone in complete darkness at night times. What can I say, I’m a softie for the softies!

I am so excited to be this little chap’s new temporary mummy. His name’s Oreo, which is adorable, although I’ll try not to sneak him any of the actual biscuits. I know Mal – my kitten – has already had the pleasure of eating mine and only leaving crumbs while my back was turned. My friend said I can spend however long I like at hers, looking after him, keeping him company etc. I’m pretty sure she only asked me to feed him everyday but I can’t bear the thought of him all alone so I’ll set up camp there for the week and come home at night times to tend to my own cat. I’m even going to bring her along with me to meet him at some point during the week.

I will openly admit, I am hoping they might fall a little bit in love.
It’ll be like having little playdates. I just hope they don’t hate each other. They’re both black and white, so they’d have gorgeous babies! Even though I’ve made sure that’s quite impossible to happen by taking her to the vets some time last month.

Imagine, baby kittens as a result of a week long kitty romance!

I love spoiling my cat. She sleeps right next to me, and on my shoulder at night times and always comes running if I call her name. If I go shopping, I always look if there are any cute things I can get for her. She is my baby. Through and through. Cats are way better than human babies. Yesterday I went to Pets At Home and bought her a few treasures. I bought her some Dreamies – she goes completely beserk for them and has already tried to run off with the packet in her mouth every time she gets into the cupboard. I also got her a new nametag for her collar. It’s silver with three tiny, pink gems dotted along the bottom, in a heart shape, of course, and with her name in capitals letters stenciled in to it. She looks just gorgeous.

I also got her a bow.

Isn’t it cute?

Here’s one of her face, just so you can all see how grown up she’s looking now! If you scroll through my older blog posts you will be able to see photos of her as a teeny tiny baby, with matts of fur and fluff flying fuzzy all over her body. Now, she’s such a big girl, although still very tiny.

Once I am babysitting Oreo during the week I will be sure to take lots of photos of him. So keep holding your breaths for photos of that once I do my next post! He just has the cutest face, I have to commit it to the rest of the blogging community. Maybe I’ll even take photos of him with a packet of Oreos by his side.

TTFN.x

I have so missed blogging about cats ….

‘Safe’

As a uni student, we are told to undertake several writing challenges a week which I find incredibly stimulating and love doing it. I feel it lets my creativity out more, as a writer. One task this week was to take three different texts and muddle them together somehow. So, I took the lyrics of one of my favourite songs (Eric Church: Springsteen), a transcript of the diaologue from the new Haribo Starmix advert, and of course a line from one of the best TV shows, Firefly, which I then expanded on and just used the content.

I muddled all these together and came up with taking the form/layout of lyrics, a title ‘Gold Bears’ which the head business woman with a child’s voice squeaks out to her colleague in the Haribo advert, and the content and setting of that particular Firefly episode. I thought I’d put it up on here for other people to read, critique and leave their thoughts on, whether silently or type it away on your keyboard to me. If it’s any matter, here it is:

The character with strong stature and rustic thick brown hair
Wears a maroon shirt covered with lightly coloured braces
His boots say something of menace in his walk
Like a man who knows how to reason with evil folk
When it comes to it

The other, a tall muscular man with ashen, wire-like hair
Stands apart from him, the gloves he wears ones of
Good wear and tear, designed to protect the fleshy hand
From wary destruction of what he’s handling
In this instance: cattle

The cattle roam and they rumble
About the hovercraft that these men of goodwill have captivated them inside
Like shipmen, they boast and they banter about the rickety
Structure that is the first man’s dream and home:
Its name holds up like a beaconed torch of light: Serenity

One wise, and one a mercenary type, they unite as space tradesman
Prattling around the orbits of space with their crew
Both happy, both unhappy
Their lives are located on this ship
And nowhere else

Having landed on a distant rural planet
They get set and ready for the makers they’re about to meet
That is, the makers of their privy fortune
Having not eaten actual food for weeks, they were rather peckish
‘Alas’, they thought, ‘finally some hands on a bit of wealth?!’

The first, with his bare and brawny hands, pulled the lever
And warned the second to keep clear of the cattle,
Not to get sorely trampled
The reverse door mechanically opened
Like an old time earth bound garage

The cattle stampeded out of the large gateway
Their clackaty hooves banging down hard on the floor
Out onto the dusty sandpath and into the fenced pen
Ready for them to eat and graze
And eat and graze

The mercenary type, the burly one, held a whip in his strong arms
And smacked each cattle, one by one
Eager to get them off the ship
The stench was by far enough for him

‘Y’know they walk just as easy if you lead ‘em’ the first told him
A sense of quirked amusement in his voice
The second, merely looked back at him, a gleam in his eye
‘I like smackin’ ‘em’ he protested
Whilst the first only rolled his eyes

Finally done, and with the loading deck squandered in cowpat
The two stretched their legs onto unfamiliar planet soil
The braces around the first hung tight
And the heat made him sweat through his shirt
Everything on this planet was burning

With the trade’s cash in mind
The first rotated the field
Looking for the men he desperately wanted to see
So they could give him his money
And get the hell off this planet so he could eat

You may say it falls flat at the end. I know this, but I only had 300-450 words to use up but, hey, if you’re intrigued why not watch the actual episode? This particular one is called ‘SAFE’ – it’s brilliant. You should watch it.
And, if anybody’s slightly confused over the sources I’ve used, I’ve taken the liberty of posting them up here for you just in case. All you have to do is follow the link.

• Haribo Starmix Advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9scm3NCIH_E
• Eric Church, Springsteen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2gGXlW6wSY
• ‘I like smackin’ ’em!’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txyRpGT3ZZM

TTFN.x

Constructive?? Criticism

Yesterday was my first day of getting a uni coursework back date. I admit I wasn’t fussed as I knew that the grade I would get would be the grade I would get. I wasn’t looking to fail, like a lot of people were. People were so nervous, their hands were shaking and they kept feigning a ‘not bothered’ attitude towards the grade they were getting.

“Wheey for getting a fail!”

“It’s only first year. It doesn’t matter at all.”

“If we fail – PUB!”

These are the loud mutterings I heard from across the room, in the long line for the queue.

When I finally received mine I will admit my heart did a nervous tremor, as if gearing up to do a somersault – but then deciding not to. Upon reading my results, I was pleased! I got a 2:1 in a cultural theory module essay and another 2:1 for my creative writing piece – which was the one I was looking most forward to hearing back from.
My face flushed with modest excitement. But what I saw on the comments page made me falter and, yes, get a little bit sad.

That very morning, I had yabbered on to my friend in a shower cubicle at the local swimming pool how I simply loved our Creative Writing lecturer. I yabbered on for some while, eventually telling her how I wished I could wrap him and just cuddle him, cook him eggs or something. He’s like a teddy bear, I told her. She only laughed back at me.

I take it back.

Like Mike, I was desperately unhappy.

Instead of being constructive, how he is supposed to be, he bluntly told me in the first sentence on the page that my work was:

• strange
• self-obsessed
• almost claustrophobic
• cliche
• predictable

I peeked across at my friends’ papers, and he was at least a little constructive towards their stories; however he did refer to my friend’s discourse as ‘mopey’. I know this is being what a writer is, and you have to take criticism. This is what people are like towards your work after college and school; there is no cushioning.

I know that. It was just a little disconcerting.

This is what happened in my mind.

But I know I can write better. I wasn’t sure of the story myself. I shaped it into something I didn’t know, and didn’t want. I recognise that myself. But I know lots of good things can come of this incredibly negative, disheartening feedback. After 24 dull hours of contemplating, I have come through with an energetic mind and so many ideas for new stories and projects, I was even buzzing in work, so when it was quiet, I pulled up a few blank receipts and scribbled story ideas on that.

My supervisor asked what I was doing, and I mumbled something unintelligible about story writing, embarrassed.

And so, I rise triumphant, defiantly writing vague ideas for new stories and new beginnings.
WHEY.