Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

@anthracite i'm so glad you included the umlaut, because otherwise i would think you meant boards of canada and i'd be heartbroken to find out it was just a goddamn prog band (j/k, i like böc just fine)

@anthracite wait, i don't recognize that interior or cup -- is that the new French Truck up by Rouse's?

@Aradia @SangriaSnake "hey fox, has anyone told you your nosie looks like a consummate V?"

Still worried about Sugarfoot and the kids off at Snip Camp. But their surgery was scheduled for today. I suspect their vet volunteer works 9 - 5 like normal people and this isn't some kind of late-night 4 am affair in a warehouse somewhere... And I also suspect they would inform us if anything went wrong. So it's 3 pm now and I'm a lot _less_ worried.

Still. I'll be happier when they're back here, inside, warm, and safe.

i just watched one of the greatest heel-face turns i've ever seen, and it's such a spoiler i can't even tell you who it was or what show it was on...

Her Imperial Majesty Shadow is curled up next to me and rubbing her cheeks against my hand. She'd been so aloof since she and Sugarfoot had their kittens, it's like having the Queen of England sit down at your table and chat.

this is a good article

https://www.texasmonthly.com/interactive/the-ultimate-texas-tacopedia/

"...like one of your french girls"

artie and peebs are making this so much easier tonight

peg had peebs in her lap and i had artie in mine -- and then they switched places on us and resumed snuggling in the opposite laps

and while i'm still fretful over the kittens, my heart is basically healed 😻​

@Phorm YES EXACTLY

artie and peebs are having a very sporting and gentle sisterly spat out next to me

i was narrating it with "ROUND TWO... FIGHT" and "PEEBLES WINS: TOTAL FLOMP!" and whatnot

and now i really want a fighting game where you're just selecting from a large litter of kittens walloping and nipping at each other, and all of the moves are adorably futile like "put own butt in own face," "spin around four times for no particular reason," "drop toy vaguely near opponent," "attack completely uninvolved kitten," "stand momentarily on opponent's face," and "fall asleep."

i miss the hell out of the kittens but it is super weird after 10 weeks to be able to not plan my entire evening's activities around when they will be asleep and it's thus safe to cross Cat River without flooding the adjacent rooms with cats

I'm kind of surprised none of my strat nerd friends have been talking about Humankind.

Looks to me like they're cribbing the shit out of Civ 6 honestly, even the graphic design, but it's also the same company that did Endless Legend and I have an awful lot of faith in them...

god i miss my babies

i hope they're at least warm and comfy out there

(i have the utmost trust for the woman who runs this cat charity, so i suspect they're being cared for as well as possible under the circumstances, and at least they're cooped up near each other at the Snippery and can probably smell each other...)

sugarfoot and the kittens are out for their spay/neuter appointment

and i miss the fuck out of them.

they'll be back friday. honestly, if all goes well with the surgeries, this might be approaching optimal outcome.

they are supposed to be returned right to our care friday morning. we can see if our neighbor is still interested in adopting liv and snowy and go from there. gods, i'd love to have them right down the street.

but right now they're gone and probably in a little cage in a scary place. at least liv and snowy have each other. that's reassuring. but it's just so eerie and scary having them not be there when i walk through the kittenarium.

@Leucrotta i do now, and i really need to break down and read that book -- i even own a copy somewhere, though granted it's in deepest Kitten Territory and been tough to get to...

AS PER THE PROPHECY

i just experienced one of the best things you can experience as a mammal on earth:

the sensation of an eyelash in your eye suddenly sliding into oblivion and never bothering you again

i feel like the nightly runs of the fox/chicken/corn puzzle we have do solve in order to get both sugarfoot and the kittens in the kittenarium are making me very good at psychology, or at least cat psychology -- it's amazing how much more effective shaking an already full food dish at them is than trying to pick them up and move them physically

also shadow surprised the hell out of me by coming up and snuggling and kneading for like 30 minutes -- she's been such a grump to the other cats and pretty aloof towards us, so it was nice to be reminded of old times, even though i have a bit of a hopefully irrational fear it's some symptom of something and she's getting in her goodbyes. (i have no reason to think this; she seems reasonably comfortable, limber, well-fed, and energetic for a cat that's had 4+ litters -- i figure she probably just missed snuggles)