Natterings From Nepantla

We have moved with unseemly haste to get another cat, because Monty is basically still a giant kitten despite being almost 6 years old, and Marlene is not an energetic cat and never like Monty much anyway. The hope is that by bringing in another active cat, that will keep Monty from harassing Marlene.

Isla is a little over a year old and comes from the Cat Adoption Team, where her listing caught my eye because it mentioned that she was more motivated by play than food. She is certainly a very active cat. She was initially quarantined in the usual room we use, but which is also now where my work-from-home nook is. Having a human to hang out with most of the day has definitely accelerated her getting comfortable in the house, although not the pace of getting comfortable with the other cats.

Marlene is not happy with this development, though with time and reassurance she has at least accepted that the new resident is a fact of life. Monty completely skipped the step about being suspicious of the new cat and went straight to trying to get through the door to play with her within an hour of us bringing Isla home. He has by now figured out that she's a bit intimidated by him yet, and is currently spending a lot of time sitting near her and occasionally rolling around at her in the hope that she'll get the idea.

We don't know much of Isla's history other than what's in her medical record: spayed last December by a program out in eastern Washington that mostly works with stray and feral cats, then some time in a shelter in Pendleton, then a transfer to CAT. She didn't want to eat much in a shelter setting, so CAT had her in a foster home, which meant we got to see her and chat with her fosterer by Zoom before setting up the logistics of the adoption.

I think I'm finally adjusted to the new work schedule. Just in time for it to be disrupted by visiting relatives and a time change!

Cat

Marlene, showing off her variegated toes. Both hind feet have black center pads and pink toes. The front center pads are mostly black, with a mixture of pink and black toes. I'm not sure how you get a black pad surrounded by white fur, but she's managed it.

Fandom

It's almost time for Orycon. I don't feel ready!

Gaming

The friendly local gaming store had its store championship, everyone playing with a single just-unsealed deck. I got a very strange deck which, across four rounds, won big twice and lost big twice.

I keep meaning to start taking a look at the DS games I got at PRGE, then going, "Wait! I should finish my replay of Fire Emblem: Awakening first!" So I've done a few more chapters of that and am about to see if I manage to get Chrom paired up with Olivia or not.

Books and media

Started reading Portable Australian Authors: Australian Scienc Fiction, edited by Vann Ikin, a collection showcasing the history of Australian sf from the 1800s up to the modern day of 1982, when it was published. Main impression of the early stuff: boy did it love its race wars. Then again, I've just read a piece from 1915 where the survivor of a super-technological society advocates aggressive eugenics and the hero disagrees. In fact he goes so far to suggest that the treatment of aboriginal peoples around the world in his own time may have been a tad unjustified...
( Politics )

Most of my evenings this week were consumed by tech stuff. Partly the move, and partly an effort to set up my next project.

Cat

Marlene, in an unguarded moment, showing off her furry belly. She's a shorthair, but she has a very thick coat.

Fandom

Anime commentary got posted. Everything I'm still watching is so far above my original expectations, even Dr. Stone, which had my highest hopes for the season.

I am deeply jealous of everyone who will be physically attending Worldcon. You'd all better have enough fun to justify that jealousy.

Gaming

A little bit of Fire Emblem, a little bit of Fallen London, and I finally tried starting Sunless Skies. I liked what I saw, but then it crashed twice in a row. For something that had such a long beta pre-release, that's very disappointing.

With PbP Gameday VIII approaching, set up the campaign for the scenario I'm going to run.

Books and media

Read another section of Adam Smith, but events keep intervening to keep me from posting about it. Read Yendi, which was good but irritating with all the references to other events I haven't read about yet. Planning to switch to chronological order after I read Teckla, since I already have it and won't be able to stop myself.

Didn't read anything very memorable in politics this week.