Two Coins for Kitty

Ours

A year and a half ago, our neighbors left for about 6 months. When they left they forgot one of their cats, which we grew to call momma kitty. While they were gone she had a little of seven kittens. At first she kept them over at their house, and she would sometimes venture over to our house to get food.

One day my mom heard a dog growling and barking outside. She went out and found that the dog had attacked one of the kittens. He was completely black, and had his leg torn up pretty bad, but not much else. We took him to the vet and brought him inside for a month, until he was able to walk normally again. From then on his behavior was different from his brothers and sisters.

Momma Kitty brought the rest of her kittens over to our house and we fed them all waiting for Momma Kitty's owners to get back. Well we fed them so long they became our cats, because the original owners were strangers to them by the time they came back. We called them all by their color. Black and orange kitty, Orange Kitty, Grey Kitty, and so on. But the one we took care of we always just referred to as Ours.

He was the perfect cat. He never fought, he was calm, gentle, and the only thing he ever wanted was attention. I'd go outside and give them some turkey or some left over food and I'd always give him a bigger chunk than the rest, because he meant more. I'd always go outside and sit in one of the lawn chairs and he would jump into my lap and just sit there while I pet him.

After almost a year, the cats started to act like adults, and not just kittens anymore. Two of the females got pregnant and the smallest of the black kittens became somewhat of an alpha male. He ran all the rest of the cats of, except for the two females. Ours could have easily taken him, but since he was shown so much more affection as a kitten, he never fought, he just ran away. He kept trying to come back to the house after that. He knew where home was, but if I wasn't outside to keep the Little Black one from being a dick, he'd just chase him off.

Before I went to Oregon this time, I hadn't seen him in a couple weeks. I just assumed that he had found a new home, or someone else started feeding him. Then when we got home, the next day he showed up. Only he had some very deep wounds on his back and legs. He was very skinny, but it looked like he was keeping the wounds clean so they could heal. I took him some tuna three days ago, a hot dog two days ago, and last night a hotdog again, but this time he wouldn't eat.

The wounds were infected, and he was dying. The last two nights I laid outside with him on the ground petting him, trying to ease any suffering he may have been having. I honestly expected him to die last night while we were at Wal-Mart, but when we got back, he was gone. I got mad at the Little Black cat just out of bitterness I guess, even though it was only his instincts that caused it all to happen.

This morning my mom went to give blood and he was laying out in this dip in the ground he had been sleeping in. By the time she came back he had died. I thought I'd be very upset, but I'm kind of glad now, because I know he's not in any more pain. The last couple nights I had been upset sometimes though.

The ironic thing is when we got back, and I saw how Bitty wasn't doing much better, I told Korey if anything happened to Bitty I was going to bring Ours inside finally and he could be our new inside cat. I wish we could have found him a home, and I wish I could have done anything to make his death not take 4 days of suffering. I can't help but feel sorry for all of it. At least he got to die at his home. At least I came home in time to sit with him and show him he was loved.

MFB 1.0

The air was still chilly from the night in downtown Eugene. Melty hadn't really slept so much as lurched about in a stupor all night. Regardless, there would be no sleeping any time soon. Today was Tuesday. This has little or no meaning to normal people, but to the homeless of Oregon, it is a very special day.

Melty met the other early arrivals outside of Doc's Chinese and Southwestern Cafe. He never spoke, and they weren't even sure if he looked them in their eyes or not. None of it mattered though because every Tuesday outside of Doc's, the bums ate like kings.

Right on time at 7:30am, Doc opened the back door and put down a huge bucket of un-eaten squid parts, and peppers. None of it was throw away, but being a sadist, he loved watching the homeless eat an almost inedible mess.

This was how Tuesdays began. This was his exciting meal of the week. This was his sad life.

"Camera slowly pulls back and then fades into a brief blackness."

Life wasn't always like this for Melty. A long time ago he had a good life, a job, and a girlfriend he hoped he would spend the rest of his life with. Then something happened that he hadn't planned for. One day he just woke up and couldn't remember his life. Never again would he recognize the faces of his family, or his co-workers. Never again would he know where to call home. Never again would he be the him that everyone knew and loved.

Shadow of the Mountain

We got home last night just after ten. Doug and I switched out back and forth and we drove the entire length of the country with no more than a 30 minute stop for food. It was very hard, and ended up being much more difficult than I thought it would be. But we made it hours ahead of planned had we stopped and got to sleep at home instead of a motel. It was worth it.

I hate California. It has permission to shift and fall into the ocean now.

Oregon was fun and is a beautiful state. It just sucks that it has to be way up there, and above the toilet of the earth. Food is expensive as hell (24 dollar pizza, hell no), but that's really the only glaring downside. Oh, and IHOP isn't 24 hours in Roseburg. So two major down sides.

We ended up bowling in Roseburg, at some place that was closing down, so we got an hour for five dollars each. No shoe rental fee, so it ended up being six games for only ten bucks each. We also spent one night in a bar playing pool. Doug had a very off night, and the record for Korey, Doug, and I was 4-0-8 in that order. The bar had good tables, although the crowd was far from classy.

On Monday, the 23rd, we saw Mae live in Eugene. We couldn't hear the vocals much, but it was great besides that and, is now one of my favorite concerts. While we waited outside for it to start, I said "wow, it looks like Deep Ellum, but I'm not scared for my life." There were no bums in sight, just young people. Which, can be good or bad, in this case, was bad. I hate my hair now, and I will be cutting it soon. Also the lead singer of The Academy Is... Is a lady.

So we walk up to the venue, and we get our tickets, and we proceed to stand outside and wait. Within minutes a parade of bums starts and doesn't end till we got inside. I've seen a lot of hobos in Deep Ellum, but never even close to the amount we saw that day. One in particular was magical. He will forever be known as Melty-Faced Bum.

MFB was everything you think of when you think of the stereotypical psychotic bum. He was completely quiet and unmoving while he sat on a bench on the other side of the building. Then some girl said something to him. He started screaming in random grunt sounds, which can only be described as bum-gibberish. I'm sure it meant something to him, but all we heard was, "BLah, Dogga MEEEHHHh MahhhmmmOOOO" Then he got off the bench and walked down the street. His face had a plastic look too it and neither eye was looking in the same direction. His dirty Santa Clause beard made it seem as if Christmas was the time of year to change a car's oil.

We played a lot of Mario Kart and Mario party in Oregon. That is to be expected, but finally forgot to pay attention to the record between Korey and I. I know I remained dominant during the visit overall, but I wish I had the numbers still. We also played Scattegories, Rummikub, Rummy, Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Scrabble. Basically everything you can think of that would be available to a classroom of 4th graders.

Korey will be here until the 11th of June. I am so glad to be home. Crossing the railroad tracks by the Mexican Church has never felt so good. After all that time being away, there really is no place like home.

Lake Shasta 

Rocks 

Threading through the mesas and cliffs of New mexico. 

The Clouds look like a hand holding the sun in its palm. 

Albequerque is Painful to the Eyes. 

Pacific Standard Time

Well, it's the start of our second full day in Oregon. We got here Monday morning just after midnight, after cutting two hours off of our expected trip time. We made it to Needle, CA in 19 hours, and we made it from there to here in 15. Both one full hour faster than expected. It's beautiful up here, I have my camera with me, but I forgot the link cable so I can't put up pictures until we get home.

Albuquerque is the most visually sickening major city I've ever traveled through. California, as always, is the toilet bowl of the world. Northern California isn't so bad, but that's because the northern-most part of California is pretty much just southern Oregon.

I left my pillow at the motel we stayed at in Needles. My friends can vouch that this is pretty much like me losing a friend or a pet. I had that pillow for some odd 15 years, and seriously have a difficult time sleeping without it. I know it sounds stupid, but I had to listen to angry music for a few hours after the realization I had left it, because sad music(most of what I have) was making me think about it.

We ate at a Jack in the Box north of Sacramento that can only be described as the fast food joint in the South Park Goobacks episode. The "unknown legal status alien" even called out some guys chicken sandwich order, promptly sending Doug and I into chuckles. The food was great though. First time I can ever remember being that excited about Jack In The Box.

Gas ended up costing much less than we expected. We were budgeted for 200 up and 200 down. I think it ended up more around 160-170. It isn't too large an amount of money saved split between us, but any savings are welcome. We got raped in Needles for $3.09 a gallon gas. I swear when I was filling up my car, I could feel the hard breathing of California like a cell-mate on my back at night after lights out.

Korey's folks went all out on food this time. Really means a lot for them to buy so much, because food here is outrageously priced. They don't have tax on purchases so the prices of most foods are raised. Not just a little either. Hot Pockets in Texas are around two dollars regular priced at Wal-Mart. Here, they run three dollars or more. So the fact that they just filled up the freezer with tons of food is a big deal cause it's much more expensive for them than it would be back home. Yesterday we ate at Applebee's and they don't have chicken parmesan in Oregon. I felt like I paid for a hooker and she didn't have any holes, it was really disappointing. But the chicken fried chicken was still bangin yo....So is s'all good G!

That's a bout it for now. Mario Kart yesterday 21-7-13. That's me-Korey-Doug. Bringing the tally up to 59-21 me vs Korey all time in Mario Kart games. Not that I'm keeping track or anything...

We are going to get Team America today, and also the Nintendo E3 press conference starts in a little over an hour. We have E3 the rest of the week, and are going to try to see Crater Lake and maybe the Oregon caves if weather permits. Next week we see Mae in Eugene.

Blogger Errors

Well I decided I was going to post a bunch of pictures today of the kittens we have outside. Now it seems though I shat in the blogger-gods mouth because my whole side bar I gone. I didn't think there was a picture limit to daily posts but I guess I need to find out because right now it's kind of butchered.

Maybe he won't see me. 

We were just playing............honest. 

Who's hunting whom? 

Snoozy-Boots 

That was delicious. 

Then the realization hits. It's going to go straight to your thighs. 

She knows her baby is a pig. 

Kitty 

I'll get some individual pics next time they come out of their house. 

Another 

Some pictures of kittens batch 3. 

I Was a Billiards God Tonight!

Stella got her groove back!

I'm so tired

Dug out and cleaned my LavaLamp. 

Half Let Down

Went to Longview yesterday with Doug. Had a few books I had written down that I wanted to get, so Hastings was the first stop. Well they didn't have any of them. They didn't even have places for the authors. I had backups though, I ended up getting Acceptance's new CD, "Phantoms," and also "Between the Heart and the Synapse," by The Receiving End of Sirens. Both are pleasant.

Next we went to Books-A-Million, and they had one book from one of the authors I was looking into, but not one of the two I wanted. They had none of the other author. They did have Jeff Long's "the Reckoning," though. I've been waiting for it to be released on paperback for a while and finally got it. I delved in 75 pages this morning. So I came away with goodies, it wasn't the goodies I wanted so I'm only half let down by Longview.

Stayed at Doug's a while when we got home and played some pool. And it is official: I suck at Billiards now. I used to be decent. I wasn't as good as Doug or his dad, but I was streaky and could hang with them in games. Now I can't make a shot to save my own life. I don't know when or why it happened, but starting two weeks ago I have been the pool-hall joke of Winnsboro.

For eight games Doug and I were on a team. We never won. We were victorious in one game, but we didn't cause the victory. His sister accidentally shot the 8-ball in the wrong pocket causing us to win by default. So I don't count it as winning. Doug, his dad, and I, also played ten games of cut-throat. Cut-Throat is one on one on one, where everyone has five of the balls. Not only did I not win at all in ten games, but I was the first eliminated ten straight times. I figured after going 0-18 on the day it was time to call it a night.

I came home and did some searching for books. I ordered two from Amazon.com. One I was already looking for, and one I found last night. You can see them, and read about them here and here.

Today Josh becomes a man, and I'm going to go eat and to the movies with him. I'm giving him a free Mustache Ride coupon, good for one free face sit when I don't have a headache.