Typing With Wet Claws: Traditional Christmas Zombie Edition

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014annabowling 3 Comments

Skye here, for another Feline Friday. It has been an eventful week around the house for everybody. The leftovers from Thanksgiving are all gone now, except for a little bit of gravy, so I still get that nice warm birdy smell every now and again. Anty is very happy to have over three hundred followers and says she is working on something to say thank you for that.

The big change around here is Anty planning Christmas decorations for another year. That usually means lights get strung in the doorways to the living room and Uncle’s office, and the tree goes up maybe a day after that. There is some talk this year of a second tree to go in the front window, but I have not seen them bring it in yet. One tree is still good, full of lights and shiny dangly things. I do not get near the tree, since it is up on a table and I do not jump or climb, so I watch it from the floor.

Mama got Anty a lot of new batteries, so that Anty will not be without her camera over the holiday season. I mean a lot of batteries. Like this many. This means she can chase me around the house for a long time in order to get my picture for this blog. She says it is for holiday pictures, but I know what she really means. She wants kitty pictures.

lots of batteries mean lots of pictures

We also have something the humans say counts as holiday decoration, but I think they have the wrong holiday in mind. Since I am only a kitty, I have not had a lot of Christmases, and someone may have to help me out here, but is there such a thing as a Christmas zombie? Because we have this zombie hand that Anty says is going to hold a Christmas ornament and be the centerpiece on the dining room table. It looks like this:

Traditional Christmas zombie?

I think all that time on the glowy box is making Anty loopy. She says she has her head down and her eyes on her own paper. She has big purple headphones on so she can listen to the playlist she made for her story, and that’s pretty much where her attention goes most of the day. Sometimes, she looks at pictures she has on the computer that she says look like the people and places in her head. I sit really really close to her chair so she knows I love her and I stare at her a lot. I hear kitty stares help writers make better stories. She says I do not have to sleep under her footrest, but I feel safe with that roof over my head, so she has to be very very careful when she gets up to feed me. Or get tea. But mostly feed me.

That is about it for this week. Lots of clicking of keys and scratching of pen on paper. I know that makes Anty happy, and there is always the chance that she will feed me when she gets up to make more tea.

Until next week, I remain,

Very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book.)

Typing With Wet Claws: Post Thanksgiving Edition

November 28, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Hello, all. Skye here, for another Feline Friday. Today’s picture is of me at the old house, because Anty’s camera batteries died yesterday right before Uncle asked Anty to take a picture of the Thanksgiving table. (That was because they died taking a picture of the snowy tree in front of our house, which Anty had a picture of already but it had a lot less snow on it and Mama wanted the really snowy picture. Mama did not know that would kill the batteries, so do not be mad at her.) I am sorry about that because there were a lot of food bowls on that table and a table full of food bowls is a beautiful thing.

Another beautiful thing is Anty’s new business cards. They came last week, and she is very happy with them. Here is one of them, used in the new notebook she is still altering.

Could use a frame, don’t you think?

Anty had a new post at Heroes and Heartbreakers this week. In case you missed it, you can click the link below and read it now. Anty loves to get comments and talk to readers, so feel free to chime in. Her post was on the first part of Sleepy Hollow‘s fall finale. She says it is about ships, but I watched the whole episode and there were no boats of any kind. Must be a human thing. You can read about it here; if you know where the ships come in please let me know.:

Sleepy Hollow: Ichabbie Heart to Heart: knowledge is power

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, which means there was a lot of food everywhere. I still got my regular cat food and Uncle gave me some extra treat, so my tummy was very happy. Anty was less happy when I tried to wrap my whole body around both of her feet while she was carrying one of the platters from kitchen to dining room, but who can blame me? There was warm birdy smell and I wanted to be near her. Isn’t that a sign of devotion? I know full well I do not get people food because people eat people food and kitties eat kitty food and I am a kitty, but it was the principle of the thing.

Our family did not go Black Friday shopping, but Anty did get to spend some time this morning chasing me around the apartment, asking to see what was in my mouth, and I did not want her to see that. In case you are wondering, it was shed fur. She did not seem happy to see me eat it, but if my shed fur is that important to her, she does not have to worry. She will see it again when I am done with it. She did succeed in picking me up twice in her efforts to get the fur away from me, but I still got it down and then she had to give me food to soothe my nerves from being picked up. I like to be close to my humans, but not be picked up.

Anty says dealing with cats is good practice for dealing with characters, since we both are supposedly subject to our writer humans but end up doing our own thing anyway. I think she may be on to something there.

Until next time, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling

(the kitty, not the book.)

Typing With Wet Claws: A Few Skulls Couldn’t Hurt

November 21, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

Skye here, for another Feline Friday. It’s been an interesting week here. Though we are in New York, we did not get any of the big snow. We are several hours east of that, and while it is cold, all we have is sunshine and a few clouds. Anty has been at the glowy box a lot. She had two posts go live on Heroes and Heartbreakers:

A first look at Twice Tempted by Eileen Dreyer

and

Heart to Heart: The Walking Dead season 5, episode 6: Consumed by the Chemistry

I do not get to read books because I am a kitty (even though I am named after a book) so I do not know anything about the book she read, but I do get to watch The Walking Dead with my people. They seemed to really like this episode because it was Carol and Daryl and lots of things happened. I like the show because no kitties have been eaten or zombified. That is always the mark of a good show to me. Then again, I have never seen any kitties on that show, but that is my head canon.

So it begins…

Anty has begun the process of “fixing” my notebook alterations. The black and white book is the book that I peed on, but I have nothing to do with the brown book’s funny smell. That one is because Anty did not make sure her water bottle was fully closed before she put it in her purse. She did not check that until things became fragrant (personally, I think it smells fine the way it is, but humans are funny that way) and says this is the last ditch effort to de-stink both notebooks. She may take the paper out of the black and white book and have different paper put in, if only the paper is smelly, and that seems to make her happy. So, with that in mind, did I really do such a naughty thing in altering the paper in this one? I don’t think so. Sometimes, it takes humans longer to grasp cat logic. Really, it’s not that difficult. If this paper is ruined, then Anty can use whatever paper she would like, and since ivory (or cream, like my undercoat) is easier on her eyes than stark white, this is actually a good move. I did what I had to do, and I did it out of love. Also a full bladder.

Listen here….

As part of Anty’s office reclamation, she has (finally) obtained earbuds for the old desktop computer. Anty really likes skulls, so these had to come home. Now if she will get rid of the speakers that came with us from the old house but have not worked in recent memory, that will get rid of some tangly wires and let me sit even closer to her while she is working. Not everybody knows this, but I can be a cat ninja when I want, and get reallyreallyclose without making a sound. Like on the humans’ feet close. It does not hurt that I am somewhat carpet-colored. Anty says I am allowed in the office, though I am not yet sure if I want to go in there. She has a lot of skulls. None of them are kitty skulls, though. Only human, and she says they are made out of things like plastic and rubber, not the actual remains of her enemies or anything like that. I don’t know; that would be an effective way of warding off interruptions. Warnings work, as a show of power and intent. Anty says a closed door does the same thing, but I think a couple of skulls on the door could not hurt.

Until next week, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Domestic Tornado Edition

November 14, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

Cat selfie for the win

Hello, all, Skye here, with another Feline Friday. Anty really needs me to post for her today because this week has been full of domestic tornadoes. That is Anty’s term for things that happen at home that need her attention. She says those are private and I should not tell them here, but she does want me to remind everybody that the bed is usually made (that is Anty and Uncle’s room) and the trash is going out later. Things are a bit behind, but I am eating on schedule, so it is not that bad.

phase one; free writing

Anty had a suspicioin today was going to be another tornado day, so she started out with some Lapsang Souchong tea (she says it is like catnip for people who do not want to be sleepy, but I don’t entirely understand, because catnip does nothing for me. Some cats are like that. I will take her word on the tea.) in the Starbucks mug. If she is drinking out of the Starbucks mug, she is probably cranky and it is not a good idea to sit quietly next to her feet in case she moves unexpectedly. Do not ask me how I know that; I just do. Anyway, she had this tea at the kitchen counter, while free writing in a notebook she assembled from a Picadilly hardcover and the removable cover of another notebook whose insides she did not like. Free writing is writing down whatever is in her head. Then she plays with highlighters and sometimes draws faces. This usually decranks her at least some.

this counts as therapy

Sometimes, Anty needs to get out of the house when the tornadoes come through, and takes her glowy box to a coffee house or Panera. The choice of which often depends on things like wifi and refills. I am not sure what those things are, but if refills of tea are like refills of cat food, I understand that. I do not go with her, because I stay at home because I am a cat. She sometimes mentions finding a ‘Kitty Bjorn,” so she can carry me with her, but I do not think she is serious about that. Probably.

Some of Anty’s current notebooks

Anty has these notebooks with her today. The pastel spiral bound one is by Abbington Park and takes the place of the notebook I improve…um, peed on. That is for notes on one story. The black book is a hardcover Picadilly, and is her all purpose notebook. That gets everything in it and she sorts or copies things later. The small notebook is the white pocket Moleskine, which seems to be working well so far. She likes the smooth paper, the size is convenient and she says the cover feels good in her hands.

That is about it for this week. Anty is fighting tornadoes and still managing to write, so we will call that good. Tornadoes eventually subside, so all will be well in time. I suggest hiding under the bed, but maybe that’s just me. Scritches help.

Uncle scrtiches are theraputic, too.

Very truly yours,
Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling

(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: The other side of the notebook story

October 31, 2014October 31, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

Hello. Skye here, for another Feline Friday.

Classic picture because camera batteries are down. No cats are implicated in this explanation.

This week, I would like to address the matter of the notebook. Anty has talked a lot about how I peed on her story notebook. It is true. I did do that. I have special paws, and that means I do not use a litterbox like most other cats. I go on the floor. This is all right with my people because I make sure to let them know when I am going to go and I like to go in the same place.

That place is the Chair of Evil. How do I know the chair is evil? That is a very good question. It is green. It is really really, really old. It rocks back and forth. Chairs are not supposed to move on their own like that. It has cushion and a couple of teddy bears on it. The teddy bears are not evil, but I do know Anty does not like the cushion. Anyway, the Chair of Evil needs to be in the right place so that I can pee on it and this time…this one time…it was not. I do have an auxiliary pee spot in case the Chair of Evil is in an unacceptable configuration.

Anty never leaves her notebooks on the floor. Not ever. That was a first. I really had to go, no humans were up, it smelled like Anty, and, well, it happened. I am not proud of this. In my own defense, Anty always alters her notebooks, so I did not think she would mind if I gave it a try myself. In retrospect, urine has never been one of her mediums. I admit I might have wanted to take that into consideration before I did what I did, but I am a kitty. That has to have some weight in the matter.

She was not pleased when she saw the notebook there, in the middle of an admittedly large puddle, and she was very fast in getting the pee pads down on both floor and notebook. She sprayed a lot of Febreeze on the notebook, (I mean a lot. Uncle and I both think the humans need to buy another bottle to make up with how much she used) and she says that got some of the smell out, but she is still going to try an old librarian’s trick that involves putting the notebook in a Ziploc bag with some baking soda for a week. Personally, I think it smells amazing exactly the way it is, but it is not my notebook (though she says it may be, now, if she can’t get the smell out.) Besides, aren’t first drafts supposed to stink?

"My" notebook is the black one with the white writing in the lower corner. No other notebooks were harmed.

“My” notebook is the black one with the white writing that says “tomorrow” in the lower corner.
No other notebooks were harmed.

I will be back next week to let you know how the baking soda trick worked. Anty says I owe her a new notebook if that trick does not work.

Very truly yours,
Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Birthday Edition

October 25, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

It’s Feline Friday again

Hello, all. Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling here. It is Friday again, so it is my turn to take over my Anty’s blog. She would like to say welcome to her new followers and thanks for the comments. The more people she has to talk to, the better. For all of us.

Today’s blog is coming late because it was Anty’s birthday. She really loves birthdays, and they don’t have to be her own, but that doesn’t hurt. She says today was a good one, even though she spent a lot of it away from me. I did get a new friend, though. He doesn’t say much. I think he is shy. As long as he doesn’t go for my food, I think we will get along.

The strong and silent type?

Anty and Uncle went on what people call a date. They did not eat any actual dates, as far as I can tell. They had Chinese food. I took a picture before they left. This is probably why there are not any great photographers who are cats.

Before her date with Uncle, Anty and Mama went on a walk in the woods. I do not know why Anty was so excited about this. I spent the whole first six months of my life in the woods, and it isn’t that great, but Anty had fun and took a lot of pictures. I stayed home. I have had enough woods.

She’s pretty busy right now with new notebooks and pens, so she asked me to share her birthday cupcakes with all the readers. These are pumpkin flavored. They are also people food, which means not good for kitties. That’s okay, because I get my treat every single day, not only on birthdays. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Cupcakes for everybody
(except for kitties, who get treat.)

Until next Feline Friday, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

Skye O’Malley