Kitteh Update 3/30/14: Shy Simon

Remember earlier I tried getting face pictures of the kittehs before I had to adopt them out.  Of the six, one went running when he saw the smartphone.  Poor Simon (the male tuxedo), finally got cornered with my smartphone tonight.

Look at him, he so shy...

He just needs to know hoomans more often, thas all.

Meanwhile, Ocean spent about an hour just curled up at my feet as I worked on my laptop tonight, she was just relaxing from the time away from six active and jumpy kittehs.

I've scheduled to take the kittehs for adopting out to the SPCA in two weeks.  I feel pretty bad about doing it, but... I can't keep all of them...

Kitteh Update 3/28/14: Fleas

It has become a noticeable problem.  The sunroom porch I have them in is apparently infested, and with the kittens and mama Ocean in there the fleas are harvesting like mad.

Thing is, living alone, I doubt I can wash them all down without incurring deadly injuries, or harming them (something about getting them too wet would be akin to freezing the poor kittens, right?).  I can't evacuate them, the fleas are on them and I fear bringing them further into the rest of the house.  And I'm not sure what I should do otherwise.  I'm worried about anything toxic to kittens being used.  What are my options?

In Writing News: Realized I Need to Upgrade My XLibris Account...

...after all, I'd just moved and needed to give them updated mailing address and phone.

It's just two things:
1) Last time I checked in, XLibris had changed their Author Page login and

2) I realized my book with them, Last of the Grapefruit Wars, was no longer listed as an available ebook on Amazon.com.  Having not updated my record, obviously, the whole thing had gone into suspended mode.

So, good news, got the account reactivated, updated my info, and got the Grapefruit Wars back on the ebook list.

Now, if I can get 50,000 people to BUY MY EBOOK...!

(Also found out an account purchase I made years ago that I found myself unable to finish and just ended up losing track of... is back in XLibris' records.  Now I HAVE to finish writing a book...!)

I Survived MegaCon 2014 (cross-post)

I blogged about my MegaCon trip this past weekend over on my political blog rather than the writing blog here, I apologize... but hey I provided a link!

As for my writing, I attended (I tagged myself...and the guy sitting in front of me) a very packed World Building panel presentation (the panelist taking that photo, Bill Hatfield, found out the line for the presentation went out the door and along the hallway for the poor souls who couldn't get in: I'm pretty sure next year they'll get bigger rooms for the writing panels).  Got some good motivation to get my damned first novel finished...

The panel was led by Glenda C Finkelstein, author of Battle Cry; and co-hosted by Bill (William) Hatfield, of Captive Audience; by T.S. Robinson, of Battle-Chasers; and Jade Kerrion, of the Double Helix series.  Philip McCall was also a presenter but he showed up late, so nyah to him. ;-)

Met the authors afterward to thank them, and found out that - hey - Hatfield owned the Novel Ideas comic book store in Gainesville when I went to University of Florida!  Small world...

Kitteh Update 03/24/14: Faces

Doing my best to get pictures of the baby kittens, and maybe get to figuring out how to tell the three all-black kittens apart (Mal I can figure from his behavior)...

Jayne, maybe. Most cautious of the three (maybe if I got him a hat...)

Kaylee (or Inara if you still prefer)

Mal. Only he would be brave enough to get close to eat my pants (true).

River. Looking so very much like mama Ocean...

Zoe maybe. Cautious yet alert.

Simon wasn't available for easy photographing. I'll add him when I can.

Kitteh Update 3/19/14: Futon Fortress

If anything attracts a kitten faster than a dangling bit of string, it's a large cushiony thing like a futon.

 Took this picture a few days ago.

Took this picture last night.  Today all kittehs are rolling around on it, chasing each other, using the pillows as climbing steps.  You'll notice between Day One and Day Two I added an extra layer of plastic beneath the blanket.  These ARE kittehs and their potty training has been... well.  They need more practice.

They're getting old enough to be adopted out.  But I'm at that point of separation anxiety.  I can't keep them... but I don't want them to go.  The second I take them to the adoption shelter I'm supposed to cut off all contact... and I wanna see them grow up... :(

St. Patricks Day: Time for Some Quiet Man

Tis the season and all for one of the classic movies:

I keep planning on making a trip some day.  Gotta save up the money though.

Kitteh Update 03/08/14: Road Trip

To the Vet's office!

Mama Ocean does not like to travel.  She's shown a habit of peeing herself every time we hop in the car.

The kittehs were a little better behaved: at first they wanted to climb out of the box, but settled in by the time we reached SR 60.  By the time we got into the exam room they were trying to find ways of hiding under the blanket:

The braver souls kept poking their heads upward, looking at me with those soft kitty eyes that make you go AWWWWWWW...

The vet nurses determined there are three girls, three boys.  Grey is girl... the tuxedo cat with the white facial stripe is girl... one of the black cats is girl.  The tuxedo with the black face is boy, and the two blacks are boys.

I kinda figured out I would name them after the crew of the Serenity, but there's not enough names to go around.  The brave black boy cat is Mal, the girl black cat is Zoe, the remaining black cat that's standoffish is Jayne, the white stripe tuxedo is River (she looks much like her mom Ocean, the naming is a good follow-thru), the black tuxedo is Simon, and the grey cat, well... I was thinking Inara, but for some reason Kaylee makes sense too.  I'm torn between the names.  I do feel bad for Wash and Book that their names aren't available, but six kittehs is a handful already, if Ocean had a full nine I could name you all but aaaahhhhhhh that would have been an issue.

Anyway, before taking the kittehs home (vet gave them a a fecal check - negatives - and gave me oral meds for heartworm once a week) Ocean hopped into the box:

And before going home I swung by Bartow Library to show off the kittehs.  Ocean was very well-behaved and enjoyed the attention.  The kittehs were wondered at and praised for their prettiness.  Didn't think to get any pictures while there, I was so busy answering questions and telling tales about the birth night.

'Tis a pity that I got to put the kittehs up for adoption soon.  But I'm one human in a room of kittens and I can't take care of them all.  I may keep one, but I'm torn between keeping River (to pair with Ocean) or Mal (who's friendly with me).

Kitteh Update 3/6/14: They're Everywhere

I can't get a clean shot of all six kittens right now because they're all over the place.  When they're awake, they are moving.

Also, they're all over the place when they have to take a p-ss.  Mama Ocean needs to work on her potty training skills, because her six minions simply cannot aim.  At least they're making their attempts on the large garbage bag I've laid out underneath the litter box.  At least, I think they're making their attempts there... :O

Kitteh Update 3/2/14: Today, They're Kittehs On Patrol

Just to note: one month ago, tonight, the mama kitty Ocean GAVE BIRTH!

Insert photo of panicking human here.

Meanwhile, one month later, the kittens are very much kitten-like in their willingness to crawl everywhere:

 They've found they can squeeze under the tv stand they're using as a nest shield, which worries me 'cause they might get stuck...

Meanwhile, here's Inara at the door, thinking over crossing the threshold.

And Mal, the bravest of the kittehs, making the effort to hop inside the home proper to sniff around.  He's not thrilled that his big hewman thing keeps grabbing him.

One month of kittehs.  I've been told it's one more month to go before... sniff, whimper... they gotta move away...