The Dangerous Existence of Madame Lee

Last night, X-chan drove up from Tennessee. I saw her pull into the driveway, so opened the door to let her in; she was carrying a Tupperware baking pan. The light wasn't too good, so she handed me the baking pan, and I made a joke about getting Tupperware for Christmas.

l33: It's just what I've always wanted!
X-chan: I wouldn't hold it too close to you. Also I'd wash my hands. It's got poop in it.
l33: Poop.
X-chan: Yup.
l33: You brought us poop for Christmas. This isn't your poop, is it?
X-chan: No, but I do have a surprise for you! :D
l33: Oh? Is it pee?
X-chan: No! It's out in the car. I'll go get it now. :D :D :DDDD

Presently, X-chan returned with a cat carrier. At first, I thought, "Why the hell did she bring the SpastiCat home with her?", given that X-chan is happy to leave the SpastiCat to her own devices for a few days if it's a short trip, and then, when X-chan set it on the dining room table, it became obvious that this was not the SpastiCat.

l33: Is this. Is this a KITTEN???
(For those of you who just met me earlier this year, my last cat died in '09 and I wasn't ready until a couple of months ago to think about getting another one. I figured it would be sometime in 2011, but the lolmom and I had wanted to pull up the carpet in the living room etc.)
X-chan: Yes. Don't worry, Mom knows. :D

The kitten is black and white (X-chan kept calling her "little tuxedo cat") and gives the impression of being carbonized on the top and undercooked on the bottom. We are pretty sure it's a girl, though obviously we're going to have the vet make sure. X-chan thinks the kitten is about 3-4 months old, though neither of us has had a kitten in years so we're not sure; she's friendly and sociable, not afraid of people, and basically stalked X-chan until the latter gave in. The new surroundings were very interesting to her, but she let me pet her and purrs obligingly, and we think she can be trusted not to repeat Callice's toileting offenses. She is slightly damaged; something bad has happened to her tail (it looks like it was run over or possibly like something took a big chomp out of her there), but the injury has healed (she doesn't cry or run away if her tail is touched), and it may need to be amputated, but I'll let the vet make that determination. She's also a sneezy little thing and has some discharge coming from one eye; since the injury to her tail is healed, X-chan thinks she was likely deliberately neglected or turned out of doors and that she's not someone's beloved pet who got out or ran away, and I'm inclined to agree.

( Look at the KITTEN. )

Orders of business:
augustuscaesar, thank you for the v-gift :D

forgottensanity, I received your package but have not opened it yet, in a rare show of restraint (also, KITTEN). Thank you :D

Finally, I leave you with this, the second greatest Christmas story ever told. (The greatest Christmas story ever told is "Duel in the Snow, or, Red Ryder Versus the Cleveland Street Kid", by Jean Shepherd.)

Everybody have a happy Saturday, since people of all cultures and creeds can agree that tomorrow is that, and if Tara makes a smart remark about her hemisphere and time zones I shall take her away and have caponata shoveled down her throat and THAT will show her. :P

Srry gaiz for the bait and switch. I know I promised some other stuff (for the three of you who care about the makeup I bought and the hilarious letter I got from the county Republican headquarters), but this is what I have right now so you're stuck with it. Also I just looked at the pictures I took for the makeup post and they're horrible. This has nothing to do with my lack of attractiveness; they're objectively horrible by any standard, as in the quality is poor and you can't see what the hell I'm talking about in half of them. BAHLEET TRY AGAIN. So yeah, that's going to be further delayed. Again, I'm sure this is only of interest to two or three people.

The lolmom has applied to refinance the house in order to take advantage of a lower mortgage rate and save about $200 a month. As part of the process, a real estate appraiser has to come out to the house. We are deeply concerned about the porch roof (status: leaky, will cave in and kill the next person who steps out there if not replaced) and the lolmom's bathroom (status of shower liner: leaky, will eventually cause kitchen ceiling to cave in amidst huge gouts of water if not replaced). The last time the lolmom refinanced, the appraiser just walked around the outside of the house, then came in and asked her about the living room fireplace.

Not this time. This time, the appraiser has to come inside and take pictures. The lolmom works third shift and is usually asleep until at least noon, which precludes the appraiser's appearance in the morning. Her initial Clever Ruse involved putting the appraiser off until Monday; he kept making noises about coming today, but was detained in Newburgh, and since I had to be at work by 3:30 and the lolmom had to leave for work at 4, she decided if he called after 2 p.m. he would be denied. We have yet to hear from him but suspect he may show up on Monday, and are trying to get the house to look like we occasionally clean. I picked up in the den and took out the trash, and the kitchen and downstairs bathroom look really nice thanks to the lolmom's efforts. (Of course, we both used the shower and I just made a pumpkin tart in the kitchen, so God knows how long that'll last.)

Which provides a nice segue into our next feature, actually.

( l33 vs. pumpkin, round 1 )

This concludes yet another tedious episode of Blurry l33 Theatre. :D

So: I went to Bloomington today, because I had hideously overdue library books, and I haven't been in, oh, forever. I was happy while I was there. Now I have returned, and it is in the past, and I am sad. That I may self-medicate, I will now show you a bunch of pictures of my town. Well, sort of.

( HEY IT'S SOME PICTURES OF BLOOMINGTON WHEE-HEE )