Plastic Bag of Doom and other non-sense

Why does my cat insist on pawing at things?  Specifically plastic bags, cardboard, paper....  Sometimes he extends his claws slightly to get a certain sound, but he never ever rips the item in question.  WTF?

While attempting to Google this, I came across this page: CatStuff: Why Does a Cat Do That.  Which led me to the most unintentionally obnoxious/hilarious line:

Why do cats like crinkly sounds?
Crinkly sounds are similar to the high-pitched noises of rodents, birds, and crickets, so the crisp, crinkly sound of a crumpled piece of paper or walking into a paper bag stimulates the cat's "prey response."

Hah!  Ha HA.  HAHhahHahAHAha!

Estel might be OK with the crinkly sound when he's pawing at the plastic bag, but goddamn... I can't even unload the groceries without him running in fear.  Getting cookies out of a box can result in my lap getting scratched up as he scrambles to run away from this oh-so-serious threat.  And don't even get me started on keys...  Seriously, we can't even use cat toys if the jingly bells are "too loud."

If these noises, particularly the crinkly sounds, are supposed to mimic his prey then why the fuck is my cat so terrified by them?   What in his past traumatized him so acutely?  Did his former owners do something weird?  Ugh, I wish I knew.

I just want my cat to stop being irrationally terrified of nearly everything...

 and to know why he insists on pawing every box and bag in the apartment.

TBT OofD: Pink Lemonade

Throwback Thursday: Pink Lemonade

God, I miss this outfit.  It used to be one of my faves.  Sadly, there comes a time in some women's lives where going bra-less is no longer an option (unless your top has one of those awesome boob shelves).  I probably don't fit into those jeans anymore anyway... though maybe I'll have to see next time I'm visiting my parents' house.

Anyway, this picture was taken in Spring during my undergrad years (note the typical Spring snow... ugh.  I think it was around Easter actually.)  I love everything about this outfit, even the shoes which unfortunately are not in the picture.  I had these sweet, pointy toed backless shoes with kitten heels.  They were a pale perrywinkle with an iridescent sheen and handsewn beadwork.  And the earrings!  I used to wear those with everything!  I'm so upset that they broke.

I'm pretty sure most of what I was wearing came from Charlotte Russe.  That was my go-to store back then.  Definitely feeling some heavy nostalgia here.

Mom strikes again - Cooking Fun

I made lasagna last week (hot damn! it was delicious) but once again it seemed to take forever to cook.  Honestly, it probably should have cooked longer but we were starving.  So a couple days later when I was at my mom's...

me:  I don't know why my lasagna never cooks right.  I follow your recipe to the letter.

mom:  oh, well maybe it's the stove.  or maybe it's the pan you're using?

me:  I use the same damn glass pan that you use.

mom:  I don't use a glass pan.

me:  Yes, you do.  It's the same one you use for the sweet potatoes.

mom:  But I don't use it for the lasagna.

me:  Yes, you do.

mom:  No, I use the brown pan.

*Just told me last week that I could borrow the brown pan to transport cupcakes because it's my grandma's old pan from the 60s that she NEVER USES FOR ANYTHING.*

me: ...

mom:  It's probably the glass pan that's the problem.  Glass usually takes longer to cook than metal.

me:  I'm well aware...


*The next day*

me: Hunny, didn't mom give us that glass pan?

le boyfriend:  I dunno.

me:  I'm serious.  That wasn't something we bought together, right?

le boyfriend:  I don't think so.

me:  Goddamnit!  I knew it!  I swear to god I remember shopping at Target with mom and her buying that pan for me so I could specifically make lasagna in it!


Seriously... it's like she plans these things.

OotD: Love in a Void

This might very well be one of my new favorite coordinates.  It makes me feel like a classy adult and a rockstar all at the same time.  Black on black with metal studs - it just doesn't get much better than that.  The only flaw is that I seem to have forgotten my dangly cross earrings when I took these photos.

Given the nearly monochromatic presentation, the accessories become huge focal points, bringing a touch of brightness with the ombre fade of the scarf and blinged out bag.  Both items are presents from my BFF.  You can find them and other Grace Adele brand accessories at her website: https://angelamarielee.graceadele.us

I'm wearing some of my standards of course - Lucky Brand leather jacket, Forever 21 skinny jeans, and my Strike Envy knock-off sunglasses.  The boots, however, are brand new.  I bought them to replace my favorite black boots which got a hole in them (thank a lot, dirty workplace that destroys all my shoes).  As sexy as these boots are, I'm still not wholly satisfied with them.  I feel like they're too plain and perhaps a little cheap.  They also run a bit big when I'm not wearing my heavy winter socks.  So it looks like I'll still be keeping my eyes out for replacement boots (and then these can become my new work boots).

The netted sweater is my greatest accident of the year.  I ordered Heavy Red's Savage World sweater but received this on accident.  (I'm actually still waiting for them to send me my Savage World sweater and a replacement for my defective Introspection of Love dress... c'mon, guys!  My tracking slip says you got my package on the 21st.  I'm getting a little nervous here!)  The sweater has a high front with a low back and slinks nicely off my shoulder due to the silkiness of the material.  I've been tossing it on over all kinds of shirts and dresses.  It's pretty awesome actually.

Cat Stuff

I'm a bit concerned by whatever is going on with Estel's tail.  It's been looking rough.

If you look closely at this crappy picture you can see a little bit of the brown gunk that seems to be secreting from his skin and then clumping in his tail as his fur grows out.  Unfortunately he won't stay still long enough for a close up of the skin in good lighting.

My best guess so far is that he has "stud tail", which doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering that he's been neutered for a bajillion years and this is only something I've noticed for maybe the past year or so.  Another thought it possibly food allergies... though I don't think that would get him to secrete gunk on only the base of his tail.  And as for flea allergies... well, he doesn't have fleas.  Though he did catch them when we first moved to this apartment, but he shouldn't still be having an allergic reaction this long after they were eradicated.

Going back to stud tail though... honestly, stud tail sounds like seborrheic dermatitis for cats and that's what his condition looks like to me - except it's brown instead of the usual yellow/orange in humans.  His fur back there also tends to feel oily and unwashed.  As soon as the weather breaks, he's getting a bath.  And it looks like he's going to be learning to love the cat leash because I think he needs some sunshine (which can really help with seborrheic dermatitis and stud tail).

My dad: in a nutshell

Wants to spend hundreds of dollars on new running boards and license plates for my car for tiny scratches but won’t fork over $20 to replace the busted 10 year old wiper blade on my rear window.

Breakfast Time

I got desperate this morning and ate some of le boyfriend's cereal.  Ugh.  I'm usually not much of a cereal person to be honest.  I ate cereal as a kid... but mostly it was just handfuls of dry cereal as a snack rather than a legitimate breakfast option.  When I do buy cereals as an adult, a rare occasion to be sure, I usually buy some tiny $4 bag of organic granola.  But I needed something quick and easy this morning and le boyfriends cereal sounded good...

Special K with chocolate and strawberries... How could I go wrong?  When I opened up the bag I was greeted by large slices of freeze-dried strawberries.  So far, so good.  But I noticed there weren't any chocolate pieces in my bowl.  I shook the box a few times and tried again.  Nothing.  WTF.  Finally, I dug my hand in and searched.  I came up with a tiny sliver of chocolate that barely tasted like anything when I put it in my mouth.  So, as most of my brilliant plans begin, I said "fuck it" and dumped some dark chocolate Velata chips in the bowl.

I added in my soy milk and we were good to go.  Except, UGH.  What's up with all the sugariness?  I thought Special K was an adult cereal ffs.  I might as well go eat the Reese's Puffs in the cupboard - at least they taste good!  I just really hate that fake sugar taste when things have been overly (artificially) sweetened.  It's not necessary!  It just makes me want to puke.  I actually needed the Velata chips for balance as they were the least sweet thing in the bowl. 

Ugh.... I think it's time to make some coffee, wake up, and find some real food.