Day in the Life of an Idiot

 
Image: Clover, a black cat, sitting in the yard (from before we took her in.)

I am still waiting for the okay to come retrieve the cat currently known as Clover from our vet in Maplewood. The update I got around noon let me know that she was NOT microchipped. We brought in a fecal sample and the doctor does recommend deworming, so, I'm guessing parasites showed up positive. She got a rabies shot and they are testing for feline leukemia. The doc will do a further exam before I bring her home, so we'll see what she has to say when I get the call to come get her. 

At this point, that probably means I'll be making an appointment to spay her as well. 

We still don't know that we will keep her. Signs are pointing to yes, but it will really depend on how everyone reacts to her. We've reopened the porch today. It's where she's been living for the past couple of days, and so Willow and Buttercup got a chance to sniff around. I'm hoping if we do this slowly and the right way, we will end up with a third cat.

If not, someone else will get a loving, healthy, spayed cat. 

 One of my "assignments" from the Domestika course was to make a short comic about myself to introduce myself to the instructor. I am not super into writing about myself? I kind of hate drawing myself?  So, I have written about VOID CAT.


Image: First page of my silly comic about Void Cat.  The text reads:  (top left) "mew." (top right): "Void cat is only ears, eyes, and... shadow"(center) The ADVENTURES of... VOID CAT. (bottom right): "VOID CAT aka 'Willow' is polydactyl; she has six toes on both feet! Makes catching toys fun."

So far, there is no actual story, which is particularly hilarious since 'story' is normally my strong suit. However, I have just been filling panels with various bits of information and random art.


Image: page two of my extremely silly comic about a cat.  Text reads (top left panel) "Willow lives with two other cats, Buttercup..." (top right panel) "Plus an extremely elderly cat named Miss Piggy. a little scary. 20+"  (middle panel) "Also there are humans?? Cat feeders! We love the cat feeders!" (bottom right panel): VOID CAT blends in SHADOW.

I am clearly in this to amuse myself.  

Plus I've had this blank comic book around for ages.


Image: blank comic book (apparently along with a copy of today's New York Times so that you can know that it is still alive as of today.)

I impulse bought myself this blank comic book several years ago under the illusion that it "would be fun" to make a visual diary of my life. I did start something, but I found the work of drawing myself doing things kind of overwhelming. I'm OK at drawing people, at least to my own mind, but I find all the trappings of life--chairs, rooms with perspective, beds, cars, etc. TOO MUCH.  Cats are easier. I think I will stick to the story of VOID CAT.  

Speaking of cats, I just ripped through the most adorable anime ever: With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun (犬と猫どっちも飼ってると毎日たのしい, Inu to Neko Docchimo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii by Hidekichi Matsumoto.  The anime is insanely short, I feel like it can only be 10-15 minutes for two short episodes, because I watched the entire first season while washing the dishes which, at most, takes me an hour. But, I mean, here also is a mangka who has made a living writing about their cat and dog.  I'm sure that this comic book will bring me equal fame and fortune, no??

Actually, I am going to hunt up the manga for this because I want to be able to review it for my manga blog. The thing I found the most amusing about the anime, however, was a completely random detail: the cat's voice actor had the deepest damn voice, ever. It was a hilarious counterpoint to the happy, child-like voice of the doggo. So, I mean, no stereotypes of cats were harmed in the making of this anime, alas, but it did add a new dimension to the whole "cats are evil and grumpy" thing, because dude's voice sounded like Satan, Himself.

Otherwise, my life continues apace. Mason is spending today writing an essay for his Shakespeare class. Shawn is grumpily making more masks (she enjoys sewing, but making masks depresses her). I've been writing to pen pals--fun fact! DeJoy has finally slowed down mail for me, I am ONLY JUST NOW receiving CHRISTMAS CARDS from my pen pals in Europe. I KID YOU NOT.

So that sucks.

But, anyway, I should figure out what's for dinner.  I shall leave you with my favorite panel of my goofy comic.


Image: cartoon image of cat staring out a window. Cat is just a silhouette. 

I just posted on FB that I'm surprisingly busy for a pandemic.  

Wednesday this week will mark the opening of the LAST week of my asynchronous writing class at the Loft. I spent a good part of today doing some last minute video lecture recording and editing. I still have one lecture to write, because I am the Queen of last minute deadlines. 

I found out on Saturday that Thursday of this week will be the opening of my FIRST week of a four week Zoom class for the Loft that I'm co-teaching with Kate Johnston for readers called, "Reading the (Whole) Room: Race and Queerness in Science Fiction and Fantasy." Luckily, I've been doing some of the reading prep for this class since summer or I'd be in full panic mode right now.  

This new class is part of the Loft's new "night owl" program and STARTS at 10PM and goes until midnight. I may die. I, my friends, am a morning lark.

Then, I lost my mind an proposed a master level class for the following semester, so.

Meanwhile, I am trying to finish a story that I'm overdue on for an anthology. I tacked on a crap ending just to have AN ending knowing that I will not be able to stand that and will go back and fix it tomorrow. I still need to plot something due in February.

I'm not normally this busy when there's not a plague on. 

Plus, I've had to try to squirt this little yahoo with antibiotics every day. 


Image: Void cat, having recovered from her needle incident, continues to blend into The Dark.

And, y'all, I don't know if I managed to say, but  we have a new president.