So a new kitty moved in with me over the weekend.  He is about 6 years old and has been with the same companion for his entire life – so this was a big change for him.  He’s very sweet, but was totally freaked out for the first few days.   He spent the first day and half hiding under the pillows on my leather chair….  or behind my vcr in the media cabinet….  

The bathroom is apparently his “happy place” because that’s where he runs whenever he hears a strange noise, and where he likes to sleep his day away…..

Bit by bit he is getting more comfortable here – seems to have figured out that he’ll be fed, and petted and there are no other cats to steal his food.   And bit by bit he’s becoming more playful.  Got him to chase a laser light around last night. 

And he’s very affectionate – loves to be cradled like a baby while I scratch his head or rub his tummy. 

He came to me with the name Belli (because he lays on his back and loves his belly rubbed), but it just isn’t fitting for me….  So I need to find a name for kitty.  

Any suggestions?

• Alarm Clocks. 
  I avoid using mine whenever possible. 
• Housekeeping.  
  Unless you’re my friend Michelle who actually ENJOYS cleaning her bathroom.   
• Cell phones.
  Can you imagine your life without one now???
• Semi-Annual Fundraising on the local NPR stations.  
  But I pay my membership every year because I’m an NPR junkie.  It’s the best source for in-depth, reliable, non-partisan news.  And entertaining to boot.  I have discovered some of my favorite musical artists via NPR interviews.  Only radio station I listen to in the car.
• Bras.   
  Need I explain?
• Tweezers.
  I used to need them for eyebrows.  Now I need them for chin hairs.
• Cars and airplanes.
  Sam, when are you going to invent a transporter beam so I can instantly de/rematerialize wherever I want to go?

What would be on your lists?

I consider myself a compassionate and peaceful person.  Opposed to wars (including the one in Iraq), completely unappreciative of “pretend” graphic violence in movies or WWE.   Not a big fan of hunting for sport (as opposed to hunting for food – and even that makes me feel sad for the animal).  Live and let live I say.   I scoop up those giant slugs that like to devour my plants, and toss them over the fench into the field, hoping (in denial) they won’t find their way back to me (I admit I have resorted to some slug pellets at times).  I don’t like to kill bugs or even spiders – usually preferring the “catch and release” method of removing them from my home, or an occasional flush down the toilet (giving them a fighting chance if they can swim and hold their breath : )  

Not so with hobo spiders.  They are very poisonous and I kill them, though a bit reluctantly.  I surprised myself this week, however, when I realized I was actually taking pleasure in watching this very large hobo spider die.  I sprayed him with Grant’s Ant & Spider Killer as he was crawling on my patio screen.   He fell to the ground and ran/hobbled out to the patio, spinning himself in circles for 10 minutes as I stood over him gleefully saying “die, spider die… “     

I bought some sticky traps and have captured 2 very large, 2 medium, and 2 small hobo spiders in the past week.   This, in addition to the 2 that I flushed and three that I sprayed.  

I think it’s time to get a cat.

So, this is the first post on my new blog.  You may be wondering why I chose the name “Silence of the Clams” for a blog…  since this is not a site about seafood, or the sea (though I do have a fondness for tropical fish).   The more interesting (or not) question is why I am blogging at all.  It’s a relatively short story, but chances are I’ll babble on and make it much longer than needs be. 

Basically, I’m a computer nerd.  I come from a family of computer nerds, or geeks, or whatever you want to call us.  Oh, we’re all pretty darn cool – not the typical nerd you may think of when you picture one.   But nearly all of us make our livings with a computer one way or another:

Continue reading What’s in a name? →