Life's Lessons

[lagilman]

Do not even attempt to train a feline to not sit on your desk. Instead, retrain yourself to keep the papers and needful things in one, easily and quickly-movable pile, so Her Highness may recline wherever she chooses.

Really. It's just so much less energy-output that way. And once you do that she'll go back to sleeping on the printer, anyway.

Also: when faced with build-it-yourself furniture? Call a structural engineer. The feeling of doofiness you get when you see how quickly the bits can actually fit together is more than worth NOT having to try and assemble it yourself. They're Trained Professionals. And they work for cookies. ;-)
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December in New Haven is lovely: exactly the right nip of cold that makes for lovely night-walking. Especially with a few drinks in you, and good companions by your side. The air is still, thin, and almost eerily quiet, and you could swear that you hear the jingle of sleigh bells off in the distance. Also? Nobody on my street has any flashing colored lights or oversized lawn displays up, just appropriately-sized wreaths and ribbons on their doors and windows. I <3 my neighborhood.

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1/3 of the way through the book, right on schedule. I suppose I should come up with a title for this thing at some point, instead of just calling it "Malkin 1"....

Hm. I may need to consult some folk about abnormal psych. Anyone (Dr. Lawrence?) want to talk in very general terms about psychosis, paranoid delusions, and/or reality breaks? (no! and why are you talking about me? I don't see you so don't pretend to be there!)

Comments

On kitty training

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

I solved the kitty on the keyboard, papers, monitor, printer, etc problem by providing a supervisor's chair. You put a chair next to yours and then announce (this is very important, you must say it out loud and with a straight face) that said chair is the supervisor's chair and reserved for the cat. They love being management. Go figure.

Re: On kitty training

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

I'm dying here. That is roll-on-the-floor funny!

Re: On kitty training

[larah33.livejournal.com]

We didn't even have to announce it, our cat just claimed the chair as her own. Now, whenever my son complains that the cat is sitting on the floor meowing incessantly at him, I ask him if the chair next to him has clutter on it. He'll clear it off, cat will jump up and settle herself, and everyone can go back to doing their own thing. :-)

Re: On kitty training

[lagilman]

Adding another chair to this room would qualify as a fire hazard. She's just going to have to be satisfied with the file cabinets.

[shadowhelm.livejournal.com]

Do not even attempt to train a feline to not sit on your desk. Instead, retrain yourself to keep the papers and needful things in one, easily and quickly-movable pile, so Her Highness may recline wherever she chooses.

And you just learned this? LOL!

[lagilman]

Well, to be fair, the previous set-up involved a desktop with a shelf over it that she used as a nap-bench. And until recently I've been working off a lapdesk that she could curl up under. This desk is a relatively new scenario she's still sussing out.

And, anyway, it's not like there isn't a comfy sofa not two feet away Boomer finds quite suitable for mom-watching...

[shadowhelm.livejournal.com]

Yes, and she wants to be close to you, even though she doesn't admit it. The comfy sofa isn't in the middle of things. Your desk is.

I constantly get harassed by pets because I'm working and not paying attention to them. I'm such a bad mom ;-)

[lagilman]

We've compromised. I scootch back in my chair and maintain good posture, and she can sit on my lap while I work.

Any moment now Boomerang is going to come along and try to sit behind me on the chair (there's just enough room) and the chair will collapse...

[klingonguy.livejournal.com]

General terms? Um... mental health, good.

Give me a tigther focus and I'll try to give you something more useful in return (though "mental health, good" covers a lot).

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Hm. I may need to consult some folk about abnormal psych. Anyone (Dr. Lawrence?) want to talk in very general terms about psychosis, paranoid delusions, and/or reality breaks? (no! and why are you talking about me? I don't see you so don't pretend to be there!)

I can give you general info to Phd level on most abnormal psych related stuffs... I believe you have my email address ...

[autojim.livejournal.com]

Is this from first-hand experience?

Bwahahahaah...

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

/adds auto-jim to "The List"

No, no sir, absolutely not ;P

[pearlformance.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the cat tip. lol.

Also I've found it I keep my laptop on a stack of thick books, she is more liable to leap it and less liable to walk across the keyboard. It also makes it very awkward for her to attempt to silence the typing by her lying on my wrists.