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1. My username is _____ because ____.
2. My journal is titled ____ because ____.
3. My subtitle is ____ because ____.
4. My friends page is called ____ because ____.
5. My default userpic is ____ because ____.


1. My username is sugarplumkitty because it was the first unique user name I came up with. My hubby calls the kitties and me "sugar plum" so... there you are.

2. My journal is titled "musings of a middle-aged optimist" because my journal contains my thoughts and I'm genetically an optimist.

3. My subtitle is blank because I just found out I could have one. Hmm.....

4. My friends page is called "Interesting people and communities" because to me, they are.

5. My default userpic is my favorite snapshot of Scampi because she is the original sugar plum kitty. She's so sweet I'm surprised she doesn't melt in the rain! ;)

She must know I'm writing about her. She's sleeping in the other computer chair as is our morning tradition this week and as I typed that last line, she suddenly started purring. I have to put her up in the chair because her arthritis has her unable to hop. She sometimes gets down on her own but I try to get her down so she won't fracture something like my mom's cat did. *shudder*

Oh that Loki!

He was Mr. Snugglebug yesterday. I ended up sleeping in my recliner most of the night because he came up to snuggle when I should have been going to bed. Ah! He's such a smooshy cat! After melting my heart, he headed to the footrest of my chair where I thought he was going to hop down so I could go to bed, but instead he discovered I had a soft lap blanket tucked around my feet that created a kitty-sized hammock. This is an oddly cold year and it gets chilly!

He was snuggled into the hammock before I realized what he was doing. I couldn't see him because my laptop was in my lap. He is a very deep sleeper. My feet got nice and warm and the next thing I knew it was 5AM and it was starting to get light. I made him get up. He grumbled. My neck is reminding me that sleeping in the recliner isn't the best thing to do.

So I was sleeping soundly in bed this morning at 8AM and suddenly there's a "YOW!" in my ear. Loki was standing with his face two inches from my ear and urgently wanted something. Eric was already up. I normally sleep until he gets ready for the shower at 9AM. After not a great sleep in the chair, I was aching for more sleep. I yelled "WHAT?!?!?!" at Loki from a sleepy haze. Cactus was startled out of sleep too and got up from her spot at my side. Loki kept yowing urgently and I wondered if Eric has had a heart attack or something. I got up and followed him and Eric is sitting in his chair eating breakfast. He's fine. I asked him if he knew why Loki just woke me up by yelling in my ear and he says he has no clue. They've been fed.

Loki ran to the door and yells "YOW!" I asked him, "Did you ask Daddy?" Eric said he didn't. I opened the door and asked Eric if he'd mind me leaving it open because I saw Scampi heading for the door to eat her morning salad of grass. He said he didn't mind. I went back to bed. Cactus was glad to have me back. I slept until Eric got out of the shower.

You know, the cats have their own doors to get outside. Scampi can't use them because the steps down into the garage are too tall for her. Loki is really becoming a control freak.

At least Lee-Roy learned our schedule and wouldn't wake us up until it was time. He also didn't have the siamese voice. He'd wake us up by walking loops around our heads while purring, dragging his saggy belly fur over our foreheads. That was kind of nice! Eric wanted another obnoxious black cat. Eric isn't as trainable to the cats as I am. They know this. *sigh* I know, I shouldn't compare my "kids" to each other.

The power of positive thinking

My Cisco instructor asked me to talk to S, a fellow student about the NASA internship program late last week. He's an acquaintance from a couple of classes. I know he battles dyslexia. He's also black and from an area filled with gangs and crime. He has a heavy presence. He's not evil heavy, just burdened heavy. I get the feeling he expects the world to kick him around. I'm sure he his reasons for that.

We spoke on the phone. S is frustrated because he was accepted for interviews with the internship program but only had one interview for data base maintenance tracking inventory on the big wind tunnel project. I was trying to recruit more I.T. applicants at the request of my coordinator because there was only one guy sent to my group and to two others and all three groups were fighting over him. I'd popped into his windows server class to recruit. We didn't interview S. He wanted insight as to why he wasn't sent to the three I.T. groups who need someone.

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