Tuesdays with Hammy - Climb Everything

While I'm impressed with Hamilton's skills at scaling vertical surfaces, I wish he would stop. 

Matt leaves the apartment to write at a coffee shop every weekday. Ham doesn't climb the door every time Matt leaves, but he does it pretty often. Tonight, when Matt ran across the street to the store, for example. Fortunately our security door is sturdy and can stand up to the abuse. Not so much our sliding screen doors on the other side of the room. Hrmph. 

I can't effectively capture the way he cries when we leave in image form, but trust me, it's annoying heartbreaking. 

Tuesdays with Hammy - Boardgame Empire

Look at the dope who forgot she was going to post about Hamilton on Tuesdays! Just kidding, don't look at her, look at Ham:

"Hey, thanks for the 83rd bed."

A few weeks ago we had friends over to play our current favorite board game, Small World. Our tiny vintage dinette table is too small for more than 2 friends at a time, so we splurged on a super chic black vinyl card table. We're first class all the way. Nothing but the best for our tiny hovel castle. Once we'd set it up and put the game down, Hamilton settled right in, assuming that we had thoughtfully procured another flat surface for him to lounge on. 

"You're still here?"

Make yourself at home, Ham! Glad we could accomodate you and your need to put your body on every surface. Thanks for leaving downy kitty fur behind too. Classy move. 

Of course the closed game box was only mildly interesting. While Hamilton was annoyed that we banished him from the table, he perked right up when put the box lid aside...

Palm Trees

Growing up in San Jose there were a few palm trees in the neighborhood. I don't know the species, but there was a towering palm on the block behind our house that we could see from our street, and another a couple blocks away. I'm sure some neighbors had minor fan palms in their yards, but they weren't as common as the various deciduos trees and conifers in our city. And I thought they were ugly, with their dead fronds hanging shaggily, waiting for a storm to blow them all over the street.

As the orchards were bulldozed and turned into strip malls, it became fashionable to line new shopping centers with palm trees. I thought it looked stupid, like San Jose was trying to be something that it definitely wasn't--namely, Southern California. 

Fastforward to 2012, and I am a full-time Southern California resident. At first I was sort of oblivious to the palms. I tolerated/ignored them. But I recently discovered that I'm a palm tree convert. At least in this context. When I look out across the city and see the spiky silhouettes against the sky, I feel a little stab of joy. When a friend posts a picture of palms and power lines it feels like we're all part of a tribe. 

 It's no secret that I love my neighborhood. And the power lines, sunshine, hills, and feathery palm trees are part of the landscape. So there you go. Urban palm trees in San Diego are on my metaphorical "awesome stuff" list. 

Party Weekend (Sunday Snippets)

(Sunday Snippets via tinniegirl)

Tuesdays with Hammy

I have decided to make Tuesdays my personal Caturday. This inaugural installation of Tuesdays with Hammy finds Hamilton Houdini Danger dismantling my attempts at organization.

I use the popular Expedit quad as the prescribed landing strip to corral bags, mail, keys, and whatnot in an attempt to impose some order on our livingroom. Sometimes it's pristine. Other times there is a buildup of 5 months' worth of magazines and to-file and to-shred mail. Right now we're in one of the latter cycles. But even when the mail is in disarray I'm pretty good about putting my bags in the designated cube. 

Unfortunately, that very cube is apparently an extremely comfortable, highly desirable place for kitties to curl up and snooze. 

"Don't worry, I'm totally comfy."

Yep. Ham crawled in and pushed the bags out. Then he took a nap. We have an old "Keep Out" welcome mat stuck behind the shelves. If Hamilton could read, maybe he'd realize that applies very much to him on the shelf as well. But honestly, it isn't as if he'd care. He is a jerk and I love him a million.