Philly Philly Bo Billy...

Banana fanna fo filly
Fee fi mo milly...
Philly!

We spent Thursday and Friday of our Pennsylvania vacation packing in as much museum-going/site-seeing as possible. We hit The Franklin Institute, Adventure Aquarium and the Academy of Natural Sciences. We also traveled back to the waterfront for The Independence Seaport Museum and got caught in a torrential downpour on our way to see a couple of submarine/navy ships. We took the ferry. We hung out at Gettysburg. We walked until I thought my feet were going to fall off. We drove a long, dark, twisty road until we thought we were going to pass out. We had fun. Isn't that all that matters?

It's Possible We Have A New Cat

This is Rudy Huckleberry. So named because when we first saw him the week after we returned from vacation, his nose was bloody and red (as in our favorite reindeer). I know what you're thinking, What kind of surname is Huckleberry? Well, here's your answer for that.

After seeing him hanging out with the only remaining stray from the original group for about a week, we started seeing him only by himself. As you can imagine, I was worried. Clearly he's too damn small to be roaming the streets alone. Then about three weeks ago, as HUBS left for work, we spotted him on our front porch.

He was wet and covered in ants and pretty obviously hadn't eaten in days. After HUBS left I came back inside, outfitted myself with rubber gloves and a bath towel that's basically a rag and went and caught him. This wasn't hard since he was weak from malnourishment; I let him smell my hand for about five minutes and then scooped him up.



He's been living in our bathroom ever since. We have to keep him sequestered until he has all his shots/parasites taken care of so he doesn't give anything to our other felines, and so far things are going pretty good...With three exceptions.

Last night he and Shakes got into a paw war underneath the bathroom door (there's just enough room down there for some determined kitty paws). Unfortunately, Shakes got hold of one of Rudy's back paws and ripped the shit out of it with his claws. The poor guy bled kinda bad but he's walking and running alright, luckily. He's also having some stomach troubles today and hasn't eaten much. But I'm hoping we can take care of that at a vet visit tonight.

You know, though, how I know I really, really like cats now? Two weeks ago, right after I started him on some anti-parasite meds, I went to check on him and noticed he seemed uncomfortable. That led me to notice some hangers-on in Rudy's personal cat area, which I got paper towels to take care of.



Turns out the dingle berries weren't what was bothering him. [WARNING: CAT CONVERSATION ABOUT TO GET GRAPHIC REAL FAST!!] Rudy had parasites sticking out of his kitty butt. Yes. I know. And, no lie, you guys: I pulled them out*.

That, my friends, is kitty love and devotion. No shit.


*If you need to forget that image, check here. Awesomeness is assured.*

Tuesday Tipday: Don't Prostitute Your Daughters

In many cases, a covering up is apropos.

But, you knew that already. Right?

Music Monday: Well, That's New

I know I'm not exactly flush with bad health over here, thank God, but it occurred to me just a few minutes ago that I used to be healthier.

I know what you're thinking, You've gotten older, Citygirl. This is what happens when people get older. Yeah, I'm older. But, fuck, I'm not old, you know?

On Saturday I noticed that the lymph node in my neck on the right side was swollen. Then, on Sunday I noticed that a muscle behind that lymph node was also swollen. Now, my neck and shoulders had been bugging me all week while trying to sleep and after waking up. I thought it was just my now-flat Walmart special $5 pillow that we just got last year. (Just how the fuck much do I need to spend to get a good pillow, anyway? Does anyone know?)

Now, though, I don't know. Clearly something is wrong in my neck-type area, but what? I called my doc today but she can't get me in until next Monday. I think I'll try HUBS' doc tomorrow to see if he can fit me in sooner.

Anyway. Did any of you catch the meteors this weekend? I woke up at 5 a.m. but it was disappointingly cloudy outside, so no shooting stars for me.

Well, enjoy these video selections from The Bird and the Bee. The above song has been one of my favorites for years, but I'd never seen the video until last week. Thank God for YouTube!