Cruxley the Commonsensical Cat

This post is not about Michael Jackson...OK, yes it is. Sorry.

2009-07-07T12:32:00.001-05:00

Ok, I was not even going to bring up all the MJ crap going on today, but somehow I find this observation darkly amusing..

I counted and the top six stories on CNN are about the "memorial" or whatever they are trying to call it. So I thought, just this once, I'm going to check out Fox News. The top story said "what about our boys" and predictably quotes parents of soldiers asking why no one gave a damn when their kid was killed and so forth. Not that I don't agree. But the thing is, and I probably can't say this very well, but even that story is about Michael Jackson! Or the "thing" his death has become. So he is still getting top billing in a way. Fox also has full coverage on the memorial, including an entire article on the fact that Elizabeth Taylor won't be there. They stuck a couple of unrelated stories in front of it all, though, so they could be self-righteous.

For me, it's not a matter of whether or not Jackson "deserves" all this. I'm not sure anyone deserves to have folks scalping tickets to their freaking funeral and in a way I hope he can't see it. It's not about whether or not he was a pedophile, talented, etc. (Definitely the latter and probably the former...) His dad still looks and sounds like the stuff of childhood nightmares so I don't doubt that his childhood was not conducive to normalcy, and will let God be the judge.

I just find it all sort of darkly humorous, morbidly interesting and very, very sad.

Should have known Congress was talking about it too. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/07/jacksons-death-sparks-fierce-debate-congress/
Never miss a chance for political posturing. But I'm not falling for it. Those guys don't represent me or anyone else any more. They're just putting on a show. Fox wants to imply that its just the evil Democrats who are behind this circus. I've got news for them. I work with several Democrats who are practically socialists. And they all agree that it's disgusting and tasteless. Even the black chick. ESPECIALLY the black chick.

I'd like to say that I'm boycotting the whole thing, even though I really like Stevie Wonder, because it's tasteless and colorfully illustrates everything that is wrong with this country and why we will probably end up like ancient Rome.

But the truth is, I forgot to set my DVR.

God help us all.

Another MJ rant...the bandwagon is getting crowded...

2009-07-07T12:30:00.001-05:00

The world's gone crazy

2006-08-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

Or maybe it alway has been. Check out this, this and this.

But there is hope if you look for it -- I found some here, here and here. (Want more good news? Check out Good News Network International, one of my favorite sources for balancing out the nasty but necessary news we get from everywhere else.)

And for a nice reminder of what's important, sit back for a moment and watch this.

If you can read this, you can change the world

2006-07-17T13:05:00.000-05:00

Hello, world! Yes, I'm still alive and well. My humans have been taking a lot of my time lately, what with ailing relatives, family gatherings, professional difficulties, terrible twos and other forms of stress. It's been all Fluffmonster and I can do to keep the grown-ups sane.

Princess is doing just fine, however -- learning to put "shoes on" and actively asserting herself. VERY actively. In fact, she had her first (and last, we hope) tantrum a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen Man quite that pale and shaken. I have to admit he handled it well -- remained calm and ignored her antics, even after she got up, walked into his line of vision, then sat on the floor and resumed her tantrum. She finally tired herself out and hasn't tried it again -- I guess because it didn't work the first time. Also, they're teaching her to say, "I'm mad!" instead of throwing a fit. If you're going to take away the only communication method a kid has, it's only fair to replace it with something.

So far, we are still a nonspanking family. But we're learning not to judge parents who choose the other route. Still, woman believes that anger management is one of those skills best learned at your mama's knee, but not necessarily across it.

Princess already loves books, and we're glad because reading is another important skill that comes more easily to the very young. Sadly, a lot of folks don't learn to read well for various reasons. Maybe no one taught them to enjoy it, so they learned how to fake it. Maybe they were sickly as kids and missed so much school that they fell behind. Or maybe it was just hard for them, and no adult took the time to give them the extra attention they needed. Now, they're grown up and trying to get by without being able to read a menu, a bus schedule or a job application. And they might be too embarrassed to ask for help, even if they know whom to ask.

Woman loves to read so much that she can't imagine life without it. (She's a nerd but at least a well read one.) A while back, she ran into some folks who are trying to help. Now she's one of them, and so is Man -- he watches Princess one night a week for a couple of hours, so Woman can help her new friend become a better reader. The literacy council here taught her how to teach an adult -- it's different from teaching a kid, and the materials are different too.

Woman says it's one of the best things she's ever done, and maybe it makes up for some of the bad stuff. And it doesn't really take that much time -- she does it after work one night a week and still gets home in time for Princess' bath.

If you have a little extra time on your hands -- and if you're reading my blatherings, you probably do -- maybe you'd like to help too. Of course, there are lots of good causes to give your time or money to. But there aren't many where you can see the good you're doing with your own eyes.

Most places have some kind of organization or agency that needs volunteers to help adults learn to read. Here's a link if you want to find out more.

Just imagine how you'll feel when your "student" is able to get a better job, read to her kids or enjoy a good old trash novel.

Or even a cat blog.

Now that's contributing to society.

This is Cruxley reminding you that the more you give, the more you get. And as much fun as it is to blog, it's nice to read a book now and then. (I'll try to make some new recommendations soon -- check my sidebar.)

Keep reading and feeding the cat.

House rejects Net neutrality

2006-06-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

I posted a while back about the concept of Net neutrality. If you don't know what it is or why it matters, you might want to check it out...while it still exists.

Last week, the House rejected an amendment that would have upgraded Net neutrality from a concept to a law. But the Senate hasn't voted yet.

Make your voice heard, because the fat cats sure are. (And I don't mean me and Eric...)

Find out how your guys or gals voted, and let them know how you feel about it.

Then call your senators and tell 'em to stand up for freedom of the Internet.

(Or, if you feel differently, just relax, have a beer and forget you read this...It's not important anyway.)

This is Cruxley, reminding you that communication of the people, by the people and for the people is worth fighting for. Even if you're a cat.

I'm back, folks

2006-06-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not beaten yet. I'll admit I've had something of a breakdown. Trying to make sense of human behavior is taking its toll. But something drives me on.

I guess it's all those little humans out there who haven't even had a chance to screw up yet. Tiny little humans have so much love, courage and desire to be good. It's tragic to give up on that kind of potential.

I took a few days off to relax. Had a flea bath. Laid around and watched the family doing its thing.

And what do you know. When I finally log back on, we've actually knocked off one of the bad guys. We know who to thank, and it's not the ones calling the shots. It's the ones firing the shots and dodging them.

I don't know whether his death will prevent terrorism -- there are probably dozens more waiting to fill his shoes. But at least they'll know what they're getting into. If they want to be martyrs, we will oblige.

Folks, please don't accuse me of disrespecting the troops. I've done no such thing.

And you don't have to remind me that "freedom isn't free." But when you're asking someone else to pay the price, make damn sure you know exactly what you're fighting for -- not some vague concept, but a realistic goal. (More on that here.) Make sure you have a plan. Make sure you give them what they need to do the job right, and that you take care of them (and their families) mentally, emotionally and physically. Don't drive them into despair and desperation while you're busy swapping sound bytes and setting off political smoke bombs to distract the masses. And don't abandon them when they've served your purpose. You humans treat your thoroughbreds and greyhounds better than that.

And now for something completely different...

Florida holds its breath

...and the rest of us are praying for you. All you blogging kitties and humans down there make sure you take care of yourselves. You might have to. But let's hope we've learned our lesson there.

Don't mess with Jack

What he lacks in claws, he makes up for in confidence.

This is Cruxley, saying keep the faith, and remember that a crazy look in your eye can come in real handy, especially if you're unarmed or declawed.

The unspeakable truth

2006-06-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

Ok. I tried to be nonpartisan. I tried to see it from all the angles. I tried to be rational, sane, fair, commonsensical.

But I can't do it any more. I'm too pissed off.

Would one of you human lurkers out there like to explain what on earth this is all about? And have you seen this ?

What the hell do your human leaders think they're accomplishing?

When my folks want to launch a new project at their jobs, they have to tell their employers what they plan to accomplish, how they're going to do it, how long it will take and how much it will cost in time, money and other resources. Most important, they have to name MEASURABLE goals and objectives.

Why don't the bozos who started this war have to meet the same criteria?

Don't talk to me about how war is hell and "collatoral damage" is to be expected, blah, blah, blah. Don't tell me the same sort of thing happened in all those other wars. Don't try to explain that every time a bomb is dropped, civilians die, and these other civilian deaths are not much different. In fact, don't tell me a damn thing until you tell me what purpose we're trying to serve and how we're supposedly serving it.

If our goal was to inspire further hatred of Americans, mission accomplished. But how does that prevent terrorism?

As a cat, I'll admit I know very little about war. I have no idea what it's like on the front lines. That's one of the few things I have in common with the leader of the "free world," his VP and many of his advisors.

I won't try to speculate what drives a soldier to open fire on civilians -- a six-year-old child, a six-month-old baby. I haven't seen the horrors our troops have seen or faced the pressures they face. I won't have to decide what will become of those renegade soldiers now.

That's good, because I can't think straight. All I can see in my mind's eye is my little human Princess, innocent, helpless, trusting, and her parents who would kill or die for her without hesitation. I imagine them all being sprayed with machine gun fire. I wonder what kind of world you humans are creating for your children and the rest of us.

I'll have to shut up now. Perhaps I will be more coherent and capable of reason on another day.

This is Cruxley, rendered speechless. God help us all.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

2006-05-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

2,686 and counting (2,464 U.S.)

And don't forget all those other wars.

Humanity rages on.

Here are Cruxley's orders: Stop eating for a moment. Quit splashing. Put the beer down. Put the Indy race on pause, and remember the fallen and the families who are missing their loved ones.

Now put your politics aside and hug a veteran. (A phone call will do.)

At ease. Resume your activities. But don't forget.

Have a happy, safe, relatively sober holiday.

Feline reality show to make debut: Meow Mix House

2006-05-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

It was only a matter of time.

Is your human glued to the television during American Idol, Survivor or the Amazing Race? Do they seem more interested in the Real World than they are in...well, the real world?

Move over, Big Brother. The cats are moving in.

Meow Mix -- maker of commercially successful fish- and meat-flavored cereal -- is developing a reality TV show in which 10 cats will be pulled from shelters and sent to live with each other in a cat-friendly residence. The building -- aptly called the Meow Mix House -- will be equipped with web-cams, cat furniture, automatic litter boxes, cat toys and 24-hour medical assistance. Pretty nice way to be exploited, if one must.

Translation into humanese will be provided via pop-up balloons. Viewers will vote on-line, and cats with the fewest votes will be sent packing until one star kitty remains. The top cat will become Meow Mix's Feline Vice President of Research and Development, with the accompanying benefits and celebrity status. But the Meow Mix PR folks are quick to point out that there will be no losers. Kitties who are evicted will be adopted by loving families and will recieve a year's supply of Meow Mix.

Meow Mix will use the show to showcase its products and those of several sponsors with names like Furniture for Pets, Cats Rule, Fat Cat Inc. and Lucky Litter. The press release is peppered with terms like cat-estant, kitty crib and peeping tomcats.

Shameless self-promotion and feline exploitation, or high entertainment? You decide.

Woman always says she doesn't need to get her reality from TV. She has too much reality in her life anyway. But she might check this one out -- it sounds toddler-friendly. Of course, it also sounds a bit like her own house, only with sponsors.

I know I'll be watching. I'm sure they'll have some cute little fluffy-tailed contestants. Heh heh.

This is Cruxley, reminding you that the more you use your brain, the more you need good clean mindless entertainment. Now grab a snack, turn on the TV and put a cat in your lap. And don't feel guilty about it. It's good for both of you.

Happy Human Blogging

2006-05-20T23:39:00.000-05:00

She has a petal in her hand. A few seconds later, she ripped the flower to shreds. My kind of girl. (Notice the black cat on her shirt. Gift from Mimi.)

Pot shot, anyone? Drug promises relief for cancer patients

2006-05-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

Some things about human society I'll never understand. One is the huge debate over the value and legality of medicinal marijuana. You know the stuff, all you humans out there. Don't play dumb. It's kind of like catnip, except more expensive and illegal.

I read in an editorial at Medscape (you have to register to log in and read the articles, but it's free), that "Politics trumps science" in the FDA's recent statement against medical marijuana. The authors of the editorial, Dr. Gregory Carter and Bruce Mirken, say:

"The FDA has announced that 'no sound scientific studies' support the medical use of marijuana, contradicting an increasingly large body of scientific literature. To those of us who do research in this area, this is a personal affront."

I've also read that some polls have shown that most physicians, when responding anonymously, support medical use of marijuana. Some doctors have even let patients know that marijuana might help them, but they can't prescribe it because it's illegal.

Morphine, Demerol, Valium, Oxycontin, codeine...these drugs have a high risk and rate of abuse, myriad side effects and can kill you with one overdose. Yet they are legal for medicinal use, as well they should be.

But smoke a joint after your chemotherapy session, and in most states you're a criminal.

Please tell me why. Why, why, why? Is it the association with hippies and counterculture? The resemblance to smoking tobacco? Or the fact that no one's paying sales tax and no pharmaceutical company holds the patent?

Don't talk to me about the potential for abuse and don't use the term "gateway drug." Nowadays, most kids are getting their pharmaceutical kicks from their parents' medicine cabinets -- not from the local street dealer. That makes the "war on drugs" a little more complicated and a lot less fun. No one to blame but ourselves. No "pusherman" with "tombstones in his eyes."

And don't start spouting statistics and referring to clinical studies. That doesn't work on me. The benefits may not have been scientifically proven but they certainly haven't been disproven. The body of evidence just isn't large enough for that. My favorite human works in health care communication and reads those journal articles all the time. She says the devil quotes scripture, statistics and clinical studies.

She's also talked to a whole lot of cancer patients -- real human beings who had never abused drugs before their diagnosis. Some of them have said that a couple of illegal tokes did more to get them through the rough spots of their treatment than anything else they tried -- and didn't turn them into anti-social brain-dead burnouts.

Well, a couple of pharmaceutical companies are working to figure out how to provide the benefits of marijuana without the risks, stigma and necessity of breaking the law -- and more important for the venture's success, how to make money in the process. Score one for common sense.

Marijuana may not be quite as addictive and potentially deadly as morphine. It isn't as readily available as alcohol or Ritalin. It's not as much fun as catnip. But it is a powerful drug. In the wrong hands, powerful drugs can ruin lives. But used appropriately, powerful and potentially dangerous drugs have made many lives more bearable and many deaths more peaceful.

To all the self-righteous drug warriors who would deny comfort to law-abiding citizens and make criminals out of cancer patients, I say, get over yourselves. And to all you cancer and glaucoma patients, Cruxley says, smoke 'em if you got 'em.

I'd like to thank the academy...

and post a link in return. Check in with those clever folks at Catnabbit when you're in need of a chuckle.

Cats breaking barriers dept.: Feline crime-fighter changing careers

I'm just a humble cat. I have to admit, I consider myself pretty clever, as well as commonsensical. But my specialized talents tend to fall into a couple of narrow categories.

Not so for Fred, a multi-faceted feline from New York. He's already helped bust a phony veterinarian, and now he's going into therapy -- providing it, not receiving it. He's also educating young humans, teaching them that cats are intelligent creatures to be valued and respected, and that cat-human interactions can be positive for both parties and should not involve tail-pulling or pyrotechnic pranks.

This is Cruxley, sending kudos to all you well-rounded kitties and folks who don't mind stepping outside your comfort zone to learn something new and spread a good word. Now put away that medicinal catnip and do something constructive.

(Rerun) Cats as harbingers of doom: The Bird Flu

2006-05-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Note from Cruxley: I'm rerunning this one from last month in light of the TV movie that aired last night. No, I didn't watch it. I'd rather eat my own hairballs. Keep scrolling for newer posts.

I knew it would come to this.

One dead cat, and European countries are telling folks to keep their cats indoors or face prosecution. That's just the beginning. Before you know it, they'll be rounding us up and throwing us in the gas chambers.

When I first heard about this "bird flu" thing, I wasn't too worried. Woman followed it closely and seemed concerned but I figured that's just her nature. Then the story broke in the national media, and that's when things got really scary. Not the virus. That's worrisome enough, I suppose, but it's still one of many distant threats, and there's not much I can do about it. What's really frightening is contemplating the human reaction.

Humans seem to have no sense of danger when they're hurtling down the Interstate, talking on cell phones and cursing other drivers. They eat food that even I wouldn't touch -- deep-fried, salted, sweetened, preservative-laden unidentifiable substances that leave deadly residues and deposits in their overworked vascular systems. They carry guns and make chemical weapons and other terrifyingly efficient ways of killing each other, oblivious to the glaringly obvious fact that their toys and inventions are bound to be used against them. (Of course, I know the value of keeping the old claws sharp and the old reflexes ready. But most of the time, it's best to keep the claws covered and pick your battles wisely.)

I suppose these commonplace dangers have become familiar and comfortable to humans. Not so with this strange "new" threat, which by the way is anything but new. Potential pandemics and plagues are always around, and as smart as you humans have become, you still can't predict which ones will come to fruition and which ones will lose steam.

Sometime in the near future, a bird with the flu is bound to show up within US borders. I can already picture the headlines screaming that "Bird flu has arrived." In the ensuing confusion, some folks will misunderstand and think this means we will definitely have a pandemic. Others will dismiss the frenzy and refuse to take any precautions. And cats will become the enemy, reviled as a carrier of disease, regardless of whether cats contract it or are shown to be capable of passing it to humans.

Over the centuries, cats have been worshipped, feared, hated, generally disrespected and dearly loved. Some of those ancient humans "loved" us so much, they killed us and stuffed us and made idols out of us. Too much admiration can be a dangerous thing.

But one thing is for sure. No matter how much your human loves you, humans are biased to their own kind. I found that out the first (and only) time I gave little Princess a warning swat, and Man promptly dropkicked me across the room.

I harbor no delusions about what would happen to me if Man or Woman perceived me as a deadly threat to their Princess. Thankfully, they tend to have more common sense than some humans. They try not to panic until the danger is truly at the door.

This is Cruxley, reminding you to take a deep breath. There's nothing in the air yet but pollen and pollution.

And please don't kill the cat.

Seeing more of your human these days? Thank the gas gods

2006-05-09T00:38:00.000-05:00

You know gas is getting expensive when NASCAR is worried about it.

Of course, for those guys, it's just a PR problem. No matter how much Dale Jarrett says it "hurts," a guy who makes $5 million a year ain't in too much pain.

For cats, it's not much of a problem, but it tends to make the humans cranky. I heard Man and Woman arguing about the NASCAR thing. But even Woman had to admit that the gas those cars use is just a tiny drop in a great big barrel. She said she read that petroleum is even used to make disposable diapers nowadays, and she's not giving those up. (For Princess, that is. Woman doesn't wear diapers right now. She's outgrown Huggies and not quite ready for Depends.)

I heard the humans saying gas is going above $3 a gallon around here soon. Maybe it already is where you live. It might be the president's fault. Or maybe it is those people out there in the desert. I don't know much about it, but it's got to be someone's fault that all those nice humans are having to make such sacrifices to keep their SUVs on the road. They seem to hate having to wave those little plastic things at the gas pump. You can see them shaking their heads and muttering. (Of course, they might be wearing one of those invisible little telephones. It's getting so you can't tell who the crazy ones are any more.)

I heard one of those TV reporters talking about some poll. She said -- in utter disbelief -- that some folks are even thinking about not traveling as far on vacation this summer. Wow. That's drastic. I hate to see the country facing that kind of crisis. Isn't there something we can drill or someone we can negotiate with or some place we can invade? What if Americans were forced to park their SUVs, cancel their reservations and introduce their kids to their own back yards? What would the cruise ships and casinos do?

Woman says she will just have to take a page from Scarlet and add it to her list of things to worry about tomorrow. She can't afford an SUV or a vacation anyway, and it's not because of the gasoline. She says it's a good thing she lives in a state that has lakes and rivers and caves and museums and things she hasn't even seen yet.

That's fine with me. The last time they left for a few days, they left out a huge bowl of fish-flavored cereal and three litter boxes. I tried to eat all the food in one sitting so it wouldn't get stale. Fluffmonster still teases me about that. That stupid little hairball.

This is Cruxley, reminding you that if home is where the heart is, maybe the rest of your body might enjoy spending some time there. You could spend the gas money on more comfortable lawn furniture and a better bottle of wine.

And don't forget the catnip. I heard it repels mosquitoes.

Human-blogging #3

2006-05-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

Pa-paw and the mini-human peck out a tune.

Happy Friday.

Toll booths on the information highway? The threat to network neutrality

2006-05-03T12:28:00.000-05:00

Hello, all. I'd like to apologize for my recent break from posting. I'd like to, but I can't.

Apologizing is, after all, against the unwritten creed of the cat. Besides, I figure most of you fellow bloggers understand, and if you're not a blogger, you're probably not reading this anyway.

But if you are a blogger, or if you are a Web surfer or researcher who somehow stumbled onto my humble cyberhome, there's something going on that you may have heard about. Perhaps your first response, like mine, was to question the sources and their validity. After all, the whole things sounds like something that might have been dreamed up by one of those human "conspiracy nuts." (No offense intended; conspiracy nuts have a vital role to play in human society.)

But I've done some research, and it's true. It concerns a concept called "network neutrality." I don't understand all the technicalities of this concept, nor do I fully understand the possible ramifications of the current threat it is facing. I'm just an overweight cat, after all, commonsensical though I may be. I'm no techie. But it has something to do with the functionality and access of Web sites -- how quickly they load and that sort of thing. It seems AT&T, the cable companies and others who own much of the physical part of the Internet want to be able to give operational priority to Web sites that have contributed financially. To you, the Internet user, this would mean that certain Web sites would be more difficult to access, because the people who "own" the bandwidth would give others priority.

What would this mean for the parent of a child with a cancer -- a concerned parent who is searching for information, clinical trials, support groups and other resources? What would it mean for intelligent, insightful humans who are finally finding a voice, a forum for ideas and information that is unfiltered by corporate interests and other powerful entities? What would it mean for folks who are simply lonely, bored and trying to reach like-minded people?

What would it mean for cat-bloggers?

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Being commonsensical, I realize that AT&T and the cable companies have to make a living. They are serving a number of critical purposes. Without them, there would be no Internet, no telephones and not much on TV worth watching. They are not evil.

I'd love to offer a solution that would satisfy all concerned, preserve the sanctity of the Internet and make me very rich. But as previously stated, I'm just an overweight cat. I leave the arguing, speculating, problem-solving and, if necessary, compromising in the capable hands of you, my fellow bloggers -- human, feline or otherwise.

Here's a worthy offering from one of you. Keep it up.

This is Cruxley, reminding you that freedom -- of communication or anything else -- isn't free. But maybe it shouldn't be bought and sold.

Now show some love to your cat.

House of healing

2006-04-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

Things are finally getting a little better around here. But they did get pretty bad for a while. Woman was still coughing from the last cold the little bundle of germs gave her, and being laid up with the stomach virus for a couple of days was not good for her. She ended up with bronchitis and a pretty good fever. That will teach her to hide cigarettes behind the dryer in the garage and smoke them on the sly.

Anyway, more observant visitors may notice that I have removed the google ads. They were just silly, which I could have tolerated, but the bird flu prevention ads and the cat breeder ads were the final straw. Not that they were getting any clicks, and not that I have anything against humans who want to preserve the breeds, as long as they do it the right way. My old friend Miss Kitty was a Siamese and a sweeter, fiestier, cuter little gal would be hard to find. Fluffmonster is pretty cute and fiesty, but Miss Kitty probably had her beat in the sweetness department. (Miss Kitty was a stray injured kitten but the vet said she was probably pure and the runt of the litter.)

But the breeders will have to do their own advertising. My feline brothers and sisters in the shelters and on the mean streets need a lot more help than cat-breeding humans do. Please don't take offense.

I'm not trying to get rich here anyway, folks. I will keep the amazon box and try to come up with some interesting recommendations when my humans have a healthy phase. And I'll be returning to my regular agenda, helping humans sort out the craziness and confusion of their world. Let's face it, they're ill-equipped to do it on their own.

Wait a minute...I think I hear something. Yes! Someone's cleaning the litter box!

Got to go, folks. Can't wait to sink my paws into that fresh litter.

This is Cruxley, saying thanks for the healing vibes. And please never take your health, your human's health or your clean litter box for granted.

Sick, sick, sick

2006-04-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

That's what the humans are this week.

Fluffmonster being comforting

It all started on Thursday night when Princess threw up her Gerber Lil Entree. She is already well but the other two are in sad shape. They were still coughing from the cold she gave them last month. Ever since that kid came along, those three have been playing musical viruses. Bless her little heart, she's always brewing something. She's like a walking Petri dish.

They can't seem to stay well for more than a few weeks, and it's not for lack of trying. Woman went on a germ phobia kick after that bout with RSV last year. For a while, I was afraid we would all die of Lysol poisoning. She finally sort of gave up. I think it was that time Princess came home from day care with someone else's pacifier in her mouth. Or maybe it was the crawling phase -- hands on the floor and everything in the mouth.

I heard them talking tonight. Woman was telling Man that no one warned her that after she had a child, she would be sick for the rest of her life. She tends to exaggerate but I can understand her frustration. Man says it is all because of day care. (That's where Princess goes while they're working.) He says the other parents send their kids when they are sick. Woman says she is starting to understand why. She cannot miss much more work.

The worst part is that the litter box is in terrible shape. They just keep throwing food in our dish and staggering back to bed. Fluffmonster and I have all we can do to forgive them and be comforting.

With all this stress, I've not had a chance to find anything else to write about. If any humans out there have any words of advice or comfort, I'll certainly do my best to pass it along.

This is Cruxley, reminding you that the best friends are the ones who curl up next to you and purr when you're sick. Now please...go clean the litter box.

More human blogging

2006-04-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

Princess, the little human, was sick last night with a stomach virus so Woman is home caring for her today. I'll have to be quick about this. Happy Friday.

2,586. That's a lot of humans

2006-04-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

And that's not counting civilians. Or cats.

I'm not a particularly political cat. I try to keep up with what's going on in the world and form opinions as appropriate, instead of jumping on someone else's bandwagon.

Sometimes that's hard to do. You don't want to form the wrong opinion and start spouting it off. I love to eat, but not my words.

Besides, some subjects are just too painful for an overweight cat to contemplate for very long.

And there's no shortage of opinions on this one.

That's not to say I don't have one. But I'm not yet ready to add my own feline voice to the chorus. Assigning blame is not my specialty anyway.

However, the opportunity to make a positive difference -- however slight -- should not be ignored. Here's one for all you blogging kitties out there -- and anyone else who would like to help out.

No, it won't stop all the suffering or end the war. But it could bring a little comfort that our government can't or won't provide. And it may save a few animal lives to boot. That ought to be worth something, no matter which side you're on.

This is Cruxley, reminding you that war is hell and angels are sorely needed. And when we finally bring 'em home, let's not forget their cats.

Illegal immigrant gets loving welcome

2006-04-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

Humans may have mixed feelings about immigration, but who could help but be moved by this story of a desperate feline fugitive clinging to a trailer full of fertilizer -- yes, fertilizer! -- to escape the bitter cold, social oppression and cheap prescription drugs just to the north of us in the God-forsaken land of Canada.

Actually I've never been to Canada, but it must be pretty bad. I hear it snows. I hate snow. It sticks to the paws, and with my black fur, I'm easy picking for predators. Mexico, on the other hand, has tasty food, tequila and sunny beaches, yet the humans who live there can't wait to cross the border so they can pump gas in Houston. Go figure.

This is Cruxley, reminding you: If you need a friend, check your local animal shelter. And check your cowdung trailer for cats.

TomKat? Please. Procreation and insanity

2006-04-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

It seems everyone in the blogosphere is weighing in on Tom and Katie's decision to have a "silent birth." (At least I hope it was a mutual decision.) Being an altered tom who no longer partakes of certain earthly pleasures, I am obviously no expert on human childbirth or parenting. But in the spirit of blogging, and following the example of the aforementioned more famous Tom, I will not let my ignorance stop me from commenting.

Pregnant celebrities and their spouses' inane blatherings are not news and are of no concern to me. What is concerning are the messages some of them are sending. I have no strong opinions about silent births, whatever they are. But this Tom Cruise fellow is the same one who blasted a fellow celebrity and insulted a journalist in his ill-informed campaign about the proper way to treat post-partum depression.

Here is an area where I do have some second-hand experience. I watched with concern as Woman was nearing her due date with Princess. She related how the doctors had warned her about something they called her "advanced maternal age." She wore strange-looking contraptions to ease the pain in her back, and spent most nights tossing and turning. She lost weight everywhere but in her abdomen. And when Princess finally came into the world -- an only child who had long been desired and fervently prayed for -- Woman seemed to fall apart.

Fluffmonster, being a female, knew something was wrong before I did. She sat with Woman hour after hour and watched as she struggled to feed the infant until mother and baby were both in tears. Woman cried a lot, and as the weeks dragged on, it only got worse. It went on for four months, and the pills her doctor gave her made her worse. I can still see her, rocking back and forth, crying and telling the baby she was sorry. I never knew what she was sorry for, but it was heartbreaking and frightening.

One day she went away with the baby for a few days, and after she came back, she fed Princess with a bottle. She said she had to take some new kind of medicine that might not be good for the baby. But it was certainly good for Woman. It wasn't long before she was fully functioning. A couple of weeks later, she started to smile and laugh at Princess' antics. Now she is as normal as she ever was, normal being a relative term.

It turned out that she went back to her family doctor instead of her obstetrician. Her family doctor is a commonsensical woman who gently suggested giving up breastfeeding since it wasn't working well anyway and starting a new course of treatment.

Now, what if that doctor had told Woman to snap out of it and take some vitamins? I'm afraid to imagine what would have become of her, or the rest of us. After all, Woman sets the mood. When she loses her sanity, she tends to take the family down with her.

As an all-American cat, I value freedom of religion. It’s right up there with freedom of speech in my book. So Tom Cruise and his Scientology friends have every right to their beliefs, rituals and ideas as long as they don’t hurt anyone, just as I have a right to say they're ridiculous. (See for yourself.)

This is Cruxley reminding you to choose your role models and your physicians with care. (Also your veterinarians.) Now quit blogging and feed the cat.

Human-blogging

2006-04-08T01:34:00.000-05:00

I've spent a lot of the day looking at other blogs purportedly run by cats. I've also seen quite a few posts by humans griping about the number of cat-related blogs. Frankly, I'm not worried about the competition or the backlash.

It's the weekend, and my human family needs my devoted attention. In the spirit of good-will and humor, I'm sharing a photo of two of my beloved humans. Enjoy.

Cats as harbingers of doom: The Bird Flu

2006-04-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

I knew it would come to this.

One dead cat, and European countries are telling folks to keep their cats indoors or face prosecution. That's just the beginning. Before you know it, they'll be rounding us up and throwing us in the gas chambers.

When I first heard about this "bird flu" thing, I wasn't too worried. Woman followed it closely and seemed concerned but I figured that's just her nature. Then the story broke in the national media, and that's when things got really scary. Not the virus. That's worrisome enough, I suppose, but it's still one of many distant threats, and there's not much I can do about it. What's really frightening is contemplating the human reaction.

Humans seem to have no sense of danger when they're hurtling down the Interstate, talking on cell phones and cursing other drivers. They eat food that even I wouldn't touch -- deep-fried, salted, sweetened, preservative-laden unidentifiable substances that leave deadly residues and deposits in their overworked vascular systems. They carry guns and make chemical weapons and other terrifyingly efficient ways of killing each other, oblivious to the glaringly obvious fact that their toys and inventions are bound to be used against them. (Of course, I know the value of keeping the old claws sharp and the old reflexes ready. But most of the time, it's best to keep the claws covered and pick your battles wisely.)

I suppose these commonplace dangers have become familiar and comfortable to humans. Not so with this strange "new" threat, which by the way is anything but new. Potential pandemics and plagues are always around, and as smart as you humans have become, you still can't predict which ones will come to fruition and which ones will lose steam.

Sometime in the near future, a bird with the flu is bound to show up within US borders. I can already picture the headlines screaming that "Bird flu has arrived." In the ensuing confusion, some folks will misunderstand and think this means we will definitely have a pandemic. Others will dismiss the frenzy and refuse to take any precautions. And cats will become the enemy, reviled as a carrier of disease, regardless of whether cats contract it or are shown to be capable of passing it to humans.

Over the centuries, cats have been worshipped, feared, hated, generally disrespected and dearly loved. Some of those ancient humans "loved" us so much, they killed us and stuffed us and made idols out of us. Too much admiration can be a dangerous thing.

But one thing is for sure. No matter how much your human loves you, humans are biased to their own kind. I found that out the first (and only) time I gave little Princess a warning swat, and Man promptly dropkicked me across the room.

I harbor no delusions about what would happen to me if Man or Woman perceived me as a deadly threat to their Princess. Thankfully, they tend to have more common sense than some humans. They try not to panic until the danger is truly at the door.

This is Cruxley, reminding you to take a deep breath. There's nothing in the air yet but pollen and pollution.

And please don't kill the cat.

Jesus everywhere

2006-04-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

I know what you're thinking, and no, this is not going to be one of those self-righteous religious-type blogs. Just hear me out.

Now, I am a cat. I don't profess to know the secrets of the universe. I hear I have nine lives. I don't know if that includes any sort of afterlife. But I do know one thing. This Jesus guy is sure getting a lot of press lately.

Woman, the big reader around here, just finished reading a book called the Da Vinci Code. I heard her telling Man that she just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. (I wonder if Eve said the same thing to Adam to justify biting the apple.)

The book has to do with this fellow Jesus and whether or not he might have had a family. Seems that idea makes a lot of humans nervous, for some reason.

Now, I know that Woman goes to a Christian church, and she usually takes Princess with her. But she isn't anything like those folks on TV. She's pretty quiet about it most of the time. And as for Man, he'd rather stay home and watch drag racing.

Woman has a hard time finding time to read around here, what with Princess demanding so much attention. So she took the book to work with her most days to read at lunch. That made it a little hard for me to check it out. But being largely nocturnal, I was finally able to give it a read, and I've got to tell you, it wasn't what I expected. I know it was mostly made-up by a human, but there may be a lot of truth in that book. For one thing, it implies that women might be a lot more important than they've ever been given credit for. I watch what goes on around here, and let me tell you, Woman deserves a lot of respect. We cats learned a long time ago that if the Man of the house doesn' t like you, it's not that big a deal. But if the Woman doesn't like you, it's time to motor.

Back to this Jesus guy. I've seen a lot of him lately on the TV, and not just on the church channels. People are writing books about him, making megabuster movies about how he was tortured to death (what a feel-good flick that one was) and arguing about whether he really died on that cross, whether he was a God or a man or both, where he might be buried, you name it. I can't see that they're accomplishing much, but some folks sure are making a lot of money. I heard you could even buy Jesus bumper stickers and nail pendants -- "detailed replicas" of the nails that pierced his hands. Humans are so morbid. Kind of reminds me of the time that Jesus guy chased the merchants out of the temple because they were turning it into a den of thieves. I guess they never learn.

I can't help wondering -- what would Jesus think about all this newfound attention? Would it disgust him? Or would he just be glad to finally be getting some mainstream ink? After all, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Now, I've read some of the stuff this guy said -- you know, the red print in that big Bible book. (I heard it even outsold the Da Vinci Code.) And that guy made a lot of sense. I can't help wondering, what if humans took some of the time, energy and other resources they spend arguing about Jesus and trying to figure out what he was. And what if they spent it instead on trying to understand what he was trying to tell humans (and maybe even cats). What if they each individually checked out the things he said and the way he lived? What if they quit trying to find so much fault with each other and looked at themselves? What if they spent more time following Jesus' example and less time trying to outsmart and impress each other? It says somewhere in that big Bible book that folks would be saved by what was in their hearts -- not the knowledge in their minds. Now, that's common-sensical.

Of course, what do I know? I'm just a cat.

This is Cruxley, saying give your brain a rest and your soul a work-out. And don't forget to pet the cat.

Meet Cruxley

2006-04-03T12:54:00.000-05:00

Hello, hapless humans. I hope you don't mind that I've infiltrated your little electronic world of Web logs, or blogs. The computer belongs to my humans, whom I'll call simply Woman, Man and Princess. (Princess appeared in September 2004 and is by far the most interesting, cutest, sweetest and least offensive little human I've ever met). I share the domicile with another cat named Fluffmonster and three boorish dogs, who thankfully live mainly in the back yard.

But don't worry, I won't bore you with the details of my rather humdrum but thoroughly enjoyable existence here amongst the pillows, laundry and wood floors. I prefer to make wry, common-sensical observations on the world of humans. Why, you ask? Well, it's sorely needed. You humans may have opposable thumbs and limber tongues, but you don't always make the most of them. And you don't have the market cornered on common sense. In fact, human common sense seems to be rather uncommon.

Cats, as a general rule, have an abundance of common sense, which is why my humans are off straining their brains, breaking their backs and scratching out what they call a "living," while I sit contentedly sleeping in the sun. Also, as I've already admitted, my life has become rather...boring, as it were. True, I have fish-flavored cereal to eat, a bowl of fresh water, plenty of warm, soft spots in which to nap, another cat to torment, and a family of lovable, fumbling humans to do my bidding (except for Princess, who has the other two trained pretty well).

But sometimes my magnificent feline mind desires a challenge. And what could be more challenging than trying to make sense of the confusion, hilarity, terror and tragedy that human beings relentlessly bring on themselves and inflict on each other?

Where do I get the material, you might ask? Well, I have all day here in this house, with a satellite TV connection, newspapers, magazines and, obviously, a computer with Internet access. I also have sensitive ears to hear the concerns, hopes, dreams, fears and anecdotes my humans share while they think I'm just watching shadows on the wall. Man and Woman may think that I spend my free time chasing domestic vermin, shedding on the furniture and playing with dead June bugs, but I suspect Princess knows better. Yes, as enjoyable as those activities can be, there is more to my life and more to me.

So...I hope my observations and insights will entertain and enlighten you. Please check back periodically, and forgive me if my posts are not always regular. My access to the computer depends on the whims and schedules of my Man and Woman, a most unpredictable pair. Until next time, Cruxley reminds you to take good care of the ones you love and never underestimate them -- human, feline or otherwise. And don't forget to feed the cat.