Got the Jimmy Legs

Goin' to a place where the tough cats go

Oh boy, Cat update! We have taken in Gray Boy,the creatively-named gray male cat who has been living at the Empty Cages Collective for the past couple of years. He was raised indoors, but never socialized to humans. So he's essentially a feral cat, he seems to detest humans (at least me) and spends most of his time hiding under his cat bed. Since the loss of Edmund, we thought it a good idea to take on another cat with no other place to go. Even though he's not a dyed-in-the-wool feral, we think we can provide him a good life with our colony. Read More »

Just to get up that hill

French Press

My new (used) French press

I'm settling into my new job, everything about it has gone about as well as I could have hoped. My coworkers seem cool, I understand the work, and for once I am not being pulled in 9 different directions. I know what I am supposed to do and I am given the time to do it. which is nice, and possibly the norm in the working world. I understand some job require multitasking, but I'm starting to think my old job was less a case of 'handling multiple projects in multiple disciplines' and more 'one guy doing the job of several people.'

The only real downside has been the commute. Read More »

Almost unreal yet, it's too soon to feel yet

An update on my professional life: I am back in the world of compensated service providers. So far the transition from couch to rolly office chair has been pretty smooth, though I think they've been going easy on me. The tough work is yet to come, but I think I can handle it. I'm back to managing web content, which in of itself is not too difficult to grasp. Where the expertise comes in is knowing how to use the application itself. Lucky for me, I was reared on this particular CMS, so I am familiar with a lot of its eccentricities. Ever notice how we sometimes treat software like moody, potentially-unstable people? This program is known for being grumpy, making content disappear just long enough for you to really freak out, only to bring it back when you've broken down and begged for help from a superior. But since I remember this sort of thing happening all the time in the olden days, it doesn't faze me like it normally would.

I am still getting used to the main disadvantage of this job: it's way far from my house. The Upper East Side/Yorkville is really foreign to me, having never had a reason to come up this far before. But thanks to express trains it hasn't taken much longer to get here. My recent rediscovery of our local library means I am occupied for the trip. And dare I say, this is all a lot more productive than what I've been doing lately, watching Martha Stewart quietly disparage minor celebrities while making seasonal crafts. Oh I've learned a lot from Martha, but it's probably time to field some other lessons.

Edmund

Edmund and George

Edmund came to us from Staten Island, a TNR recipient who couldn't return to his godforsaken turf. He remained with Empty Cages Collective for nearly seven months while they tried to find a place for him. We assimilated him into our group and he flourished. He loved our cats and was soon one of the family. Always energetic and friendly, it was hard to remember he was at least 8 years old when we brought him over, and possibly older. That's already pretty old for a feral cat. Read More »

Keep those balls in the air

Mugsy

The last couple of weeks took an extra helping of crazy, all of it a logical result of several things I set in motion recently. Briefly, after a recent drought, I suddenly had more work than I knew what to do with, between freelance, temp and contract jobs. I'm still in the midst of this, though much of that smoke has now cleared. But it has been amazing to me how greatly changed my life has become so quickly. Other things remain squarely in familiar territory. Read More »