Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Ouch. I slept funny last night or something (what little sleep I got between having my legs wake me up every half-hour or hour), and now I've got a sharp pain that runs from my right earlobe (where it's bloody distracting) to my right elbow. Does that sound like a pinched nerve?

I've got the cutest-or-second-cutest cat in Baltimore on my lap even though I'm wearing a slippery-fabric bathrobe right now and she usually only sits on my lap when I'm wearing a thick bathrobe or denim. (She's resting her chin and forepaws on the armrest, which seems to be keeping her from sliding off.) Perrine has been spending more time on my lap, or perched on my chest, hip, or legs in bed, than she had for most of the year. I haven't figured out whether it's because additional layers of blankets (one layer is actually my sleeping bag) provide a more stable platform and thicker cloth when I'm at my desk provides more friction ... or whether it's because the house is cold enough that she appreciates my body heat. I wouldn't think that much of my warmth makes it through all those bedcovers, but then again, I can feel her body heat if I pay attention. (How much higher is a cat's body temperature?) Also, when I'm too restless and she abandons her perch, she sleeps right up against me more often now, instead of her customary just-beyond-arm-reach position, giving more weight to the warmth hypothesis. Of course it could just be that she has some psychological reason to want to be closer to me all of a sudden (as of a few weeks ago) but if so I haven't got a clue.

Sometimes she even lets me warm my fingers on her tummy. Sssssoooofffffftttt! Of course it does make it harder to tell when she's sitting on my chest to ask for food and when she's just there for company/warmth.

Hey, is it my imagination, or is her coat fluffier and thicker? [looks closer] Nope, not my imagination. Oh, there's going to be a womdigious amount of shedding to do come springtime! (But what a glorious coat.) She's also eating more.

I still need to convince Perrine to bring toys back to me to throw again, instead of just staring at me and telling me to will more toys into existence. She's very good at catching them out of the air when I throw them over her; I wonder whether she hunted birds successfully before I took her in. She's certainly enthusiastic when she seems them through a window, but even cats who don't have the knack of catching them seem to be interested. As long as she doesn't hit the window hard enough to break it, it's cute.

Her chewing on rolls of toilet paper and shredding them is less cute, but I'm usually careful about keeping the spare rolls out of temptation range.