Still Alive...but of questionable mental capacities

Apparently I could use a little more sleep. Today was a fairly uneventful day at school, and I didn't seem to be particularly stressed out or tired. But by the time I got to my last class, my brain seemed to have slowed to a crawl. Then while writing on the overhead, I could think of how to spell the word "experiment". So after wavering between e and i and e and i (after the p), my class told me. This is particularly embarrassing since it was my level 1/2 class. (For those of you uninitiated in ENL culture, these are the lowest levels of English.) Sigh. Of course, philosophically, I believe that it is ok, and actually important for teachers to make mistakes and model how to think through them and accept correction graciously, so it didn't actually bother me on a gut level. Just a little ironic that the English teacher has to ask how to spell things.

Simon decided that I am not paying enough attention to him, so he jumped up onto the computer chair and attacked my arm. Then I had to take a break because he walked over my lap to push his head under my hand on the keyboard so I would pet him. Yes, Simon is the master of don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-
don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me-
don't-pet-me-PET-ME-NOW!!!!!!!-don't-pet-me-don't-pet-me!

Simon and the mouse, Part Deux

So this week, one day (I forget which), we went to go up the stairs and there was a dead mouse. We don't know for sure if it was the same one Simon was chasing the other night, but we never did find that one. My theory is that it hid out in a crack somewhere where Simon couldn't get him for a couple days and finally came out in desperation to get back downstairs because it was hungry....at which time it met its demise. Good cat!

Sleepy....but good Simon!

Last night Simon kept us up for a while chasing a mouse around upstairs. Suddenly there was this clatter of running cat feet, which continued on and off for an hour or two. We're not actually sure he killed this one because we didn't find it yet, (I'm a little afraid I'll step on it sometime) but he did certainly seem to terrorize it. (It could also be heard running around and squeaking in terror!)

Yet another benefit of having a cat in an old house.....don't need to buy mousetraps! He's happy to chase them around and kill them. (Well, actually, I think he likes them better alive because they're better toys that way, but one poor mouse can only stand so much....)

Of course, Simon could still use a few lessons in the art of mouse-hunting. For example, the other night he found what is probably a mouse hole in the wall, since it's big enough and he was pawing at it and meowing plaintively, which means he could probably smell something. He was quite determined to wait there until a mouse came out. However, it seems to me that it would work much better if he wouldn't sit right in front of the hole.

Mouse child: Mom, can we go out and play?
Mouse mom: Let's see, oh look! There's a big, ferocious predator right outside the hole! It looks like a great time to go out!
Mouse children: Hurray! Big ferocious predator! Let's go!

Well, you get the point....

Still Alive

So I'm ashamed at the time since my last entry.......However, I can't come up with anything interesting, at least nothing I have the energy to write, so I'm going to pawn off a cute picture of Simon on you......


Isn't he cute?!?!?!? (Very unlike myself)

There are only 4 weeks until Christmas break, and then a whole semester is done! It's frightening how fast the years are beginning to go!

Simon

Here are some pictures of Simon that we took over at Yolonda's the other day. (For those of you who don't already know, we will probably be adopting Simon from Yolonda and Michael, since they are moving into a place where they can't have him after they get married, and we are moving to a place where we can...and we want a cat!