The program isn’t specifically about weight loss, just about improving your cat’s health and outlook. But by doing those things, . . . → Read More: Caturday: Kitty weight loss update]]> Cinnamon recently clocked in at a little over eight pounds. This is a huge victory, considering that she was over eleven pounds when we started the Purina One True Nature of Cats program.

The program isn’t specifically about weight loss, just about improving your cat’s health and outlook. But by doing those things, kitties can really shed the pounds.

Cinnamon is getting about two tablespoons of canned food a day in her little dish, about 1/4 cup of dry food in her favorite puzzle feeder, and 1-3 play time sessions daily (depending on her interest level) of about 10 minutes each.

Eight pounds is a perfect weight for an average-sized female cat. But Cinnamon is small. Wee, even. The vet has said that six pounds is probably her perfect weight, but he would be happy to see her at seven.

As you can see, there is still plenty of cat meat left on those bones.

I continue to struggle with getting her to face the camera for a picture.

After a lot of kissy noises and clucking, this is the best I could do.

“What do you want, I’m busy.”

Here is the giant blob of purple fiber that is sitting beside me in the . . . → Read More: Isn’t the future grand?]]> Hi everyone, I am testing my ability to write blog posts from my iPhone. I love the future! It is, after all, where we will spend the rest of our lives.

Here is the giant blob of purple fiber that is sitting beside me in the car.

I am totally in love with this fiber and looking forward to buying more from her store. (I particularly have my eye . . . → Read More: Spinning progress]]> For Various Reasons I am in a Big Damn Hurry to finish spinning and plying the rest of the BFL in the colorway “Fig” that I bought from Etsy seller SpunRightRound.

I am totally in love with this fiber and looking forward to buying more from her store. (I particularly have my eye on Lily Pond, Feather, and Potpourri but don’t let that stop you.)

I finished spinning the first half of the fiber. Here is my incredibly high-tech and complicated set-up for Navajo plying on the drop spindle.

The flower pot has a good weight to it, to keep the ball of singles from hopping around. I can be somewhat… enthusiastic… in my endeavors. This is the only thing that has worked for me so far.

(Be sure to buy a flower pot that is glazed inside and out. Otherwise your yarn will be pulling across dry pottery. Just the thought of it gives me the willies.)

As a bonus, the pot also makes a handy stand for the drop spindle when it’s time to pull the plied yarn off the spindle and wind it into a ball.

I set the whole thing on the floor and pull the yarn straight up as I wind. You might be able to just pull it off the drop spindle horizontally like that, with the spindle turning in the flower pot hole. But any time I have tried it, I yank the whole thing right off. (Like I said; enthusiastic.)

I LOVE THESE COLORS.

Getting a Five-Star blog means constantly blogging on your smartphone until you get the “Blogged Out” negative moodlet, waiting for it to clear, and then blogging some . . . → Read More: Sims Sunday: Party time, excellent!]]> Gameplay was getting a little bit boring. Ophelia’s wish is to reach level 10 of the Social Networking skill (done) and to have a Five-Star blog.

Getting a Five-Star blog means constantly blogging on your smartphone until you get the “Blogged Out” negative moodlet, waiting for it to clear, and then blogging some more.

In the bathroom at the library…

In the bathroom at home while Raheem tries to take a dump…

After working out at the gym…

In the snow…

And at home while Raheem tries to watch television.

That last picture points out two things that bug me about the Blogging activity. You can only do it on your smartphone (not on the computer in the background), and you can’t do it while sitting down (only while standing). Let’s all be grateful that’s not the case in real life.

I got so bored waiting for her to level up her blog that I went ahead and had her Try For Baby with Raheem. My thinking was that while she was blogging, Raheem and I could at least be doing stuff with the baby.

On the day when she first turned pregnant, the Fall Festival arrived. I sent them down to the festival separately. Here’s what they did when they spotted each other.

These two are so in love, it’s a little bit revolting.

I had Ophelia tell him about the pregnancy right there in front of the haunted house.

First he looked SUPER THRILLED.

Then he gave her the “thumbs up.” I love it when they do that.

(Sorry for the poor lighting. It was the middle of the afternoon, but as you can see, it was a very cloudy, overcast day.)

Q: What time is it when the frost is on the pumpkin?

A: Time to defrost your pumpkins.

(That joke killed ‘em in the fourth grade. I think I learned it from a Garfield comic.)

Both Ophelia and Raheem had a wish to challenge the other to a pie-eating contest, so I obliged. The pie-eating contests are disgustingly hilarious. With the retching and the gobbling noises.

Raheem won the contest. After the contest was over, but before he washed the pie off his face, I had them step into the photo tent to get a souvenir photo.

Raheem found a kitty wandering the festival and played with it for a few hours.

Raheem has the Animal Lover trait. He keeps wanting to adopt various animals. There’s no room for pets in the Seinfeld apartment. I think I will have to move them out to a big suburban home soon, to make room for the kids and pets and all that stuff.

It would also be nice to have more room for parties. Ophelia wanted to throw a Feast Party, and things got pretty cramped. Although everyone seemed to agree that Jerry’s place is decorated nicely.

Raheem kept ignoring the party to dote on his massively pregnant wife.

This guy seems a bit put out by that.

Long after the party had ended and everyone had left, this guy stuck around and kept eating food off the counter. What a George!

The next day, their baby girl Peggy was born.

She is looking a lot more human than the rest of the hybrids. See how she actually has eye whites? They’re not just solid black? It’s a good sign.

I’m looking forward to a Sim that has HAIR.

When Cinnamon wants to hop up on the desk (via my lap) first she face-marks the cupboard beside me. Then she makes the tiniest of chirps. In case you missed it, the chirp happens after she rubs her face on . . . → Read More: Caturday comes early this week]]> This is something I have been wanting to capture for quite a while.

When Cinnamon wants to hop up on the desk (via my lap) first she face-marks the cupboard beside me. Then she makes the tiniest of chirps. In case you missed it, the chirp happens after she rubs her face on the cupboard six times, and just before she hops up.

It is one of only two situations in which she ever makes noise. (The second is if she is clinging to me limpet-like, and I try to remove her from my person in order to do some dumb people thing like “type” or “drink coffee.” She makes a small beep of protest.)

Please politely overlook the state of the cabin floor. It’s not really cleanable in the traditional sense. Also I don’t give a ****.

Speaking of cats, in previewing this post I noticed that one of the photos in my Instagram widget on the left looks a little bit horrible when displayed out of context. I hasten to assure you, it’s not a dead tuxedo cat playing Laura Palmer. When you click through, the caption is “By tenting my bike in plastic I basically made a solarium for Neighbor Cat.”

(That’s not counting my Twitter and . . . → Read More: A fiber ball]]> I took a really cute cat video today and gushed about it on Twitter. Then I decided to hold it over until Caturday. I feel a little bad about all the gushing already. It seems like it’s better to keep the cat stuff contained to Caturday posts.

(That’s not counting my Twitter and Instagram accounts, which are pretty much nonstop kitty. Deal with it.)

I’m almost done spinning up the first half of this fiber. I find the ball of singles to be a pleasing object in and of itself. It’s pretty, and it has a nice heft, and it bounces surprisingly well.