Friday Report: cats, salsa, Verizon

This photo has nothing to do with anything else I'm writing about; it's a dragon fruit, it was on Boing Boing this morning, and I find it fascinating. The outside is wild, the inside is wacky, and the fact that they're from the same fruit? Fascinating.

Onward.

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I went to pat Miri this morning, and something about the way I moved my hand freaked her out. She jumped down and regarded me reprovingly from the floor a safe distance away. I had to laugh at the silly thing. She'd been showing up all morning meowing, wanting attention, jumping up beside me, and then decided I was out to get her. I informed her that if I wanted to pat a kitty, I had other options, and went to give the new guy some loving.

I think somewhere between most and all of my photos of him are on this perch by the window.


He has a very casual way with his paws and the windowsill.


He spends a lot of time there, waiting out the period of Miri's rejection. She's getting closer and closer, and I think overall is doing very well for only a week. This morning, I thought for a moment that she would jump up next to him, but she didn't. She's getting closer, though, and is meowing but not so much hissing. Progress, for sure.

Meanwhile, he waits.


The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
At one point when the Verizon guy was walking around in his big boots (thump thump), I realized that I'd lost sight of Carlos, who left the office when that was invaded.

I checked under the bed to verify Miri, and found them both under there. At opposite ends, mind you, but clearly joined in non-hissyness by their common fear of Strange Man.

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One of the things I did today, during my housebound period of Verizon installation, was make the salsa. You know, bell peppers, corn, black beans, onion? Like this:


How's that for a punch of color in winter? I haven't made it in a while, and not only did I want to eat it, I wanted to test a Christmas present.



Much less chopping! And the results are good.


Granted, I was most of the way through the onion* before I remembered to get out the chopper (ahem), but all the peppers went through it. You still have to open the peppers, hollow them, and cut them into small enough pieces to fit, but no dicing, just whump and they're through.

*And either it's one potent onion, or it was too big, or I used too much garlic or balsamic or something ... but the end result has more punch than usual. Not bad, certainly, but a bit much. Though I keep eating it.

The chopper does take a little pressure, but it's worth it if you have the hand power. Mum, you can try it for yourself in April, if you want to test-drive it before you buy your own.

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Now, someone would like to float the idea of equal air-time for cats here. The last week has been heavily tilted to the new guy, naturally, and Miri wants to point out that she may be semi-quasi-untouchable, but she also is cute.






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Verizon Installation Report

The friendly Verizon guy arrived around 10:25 this morning, and left at 5:55. If my math is correct (and yes, I counted aloud and used my fingers), that makes seven and a half hours. Wow!

Most of his work was either in the basement or outside (god love him, it was cold today, teens at most, and wicked windy), so I didn't have to deal with the underfoot-all-day thing I was wondering about. I did think I might have to run out earlier (when I was making the salsa and couldn't find balsamic vinegar, I thought I'd have to go get some, but in fact I forgot the bottle I got last time was too tall for the usual cupboard), but it turned out I didn't need to, so no big deal.

He hit a couple of snafus, one being a wire-box* in the basement that Comcast had to come open (?), and the other that my phone line isn't routed through the basement where he wanted it to be, but in the end, he overcame.

*yes, that's the technical term

And the TV works (new remote to learn! new channel line-up to learn!), and the internet works, and there's a dial-tone on the phone, so I call it pretty successful.

So far. Provisionally. I don't want to jump to conclusions. But the signs are auspicious. At this moment in time. Knock wood. Wish me luck. Light a candle.

Paranoid? Moi?