My Cats are Jerks

My cats are jerks.  

The other day I decided to start making a quilt. The down stairs is set up like a giant square. All of the rooms can be opened into the next room through thanks to a couple of clear pocket doors. The sewing machine is set up on the dining room table next to the air conditioner and I kept the rooms mostly closed up to keep it cool. I find it very important to be comfortable when working with fabric.  I am getting side tracked. This story isn’t about the quilt. It is about my cats being jerks. Let’s talk about the cats. 

The Dib Cat was relaxing as a giant ball of fur in the cat tree next to me as the sewing machine hummed.  From where I was sitting I could see that Iggins was sprawled out like a giant orange star fish belly up on the living room rug.  For the most part everything is peaceful.  

Suddenly both cats go from maximum relaxing mode to predator in the night mode. They are crouched down and intently staring in to the hallway.  I can see nothing but a darkened hall way from where I am sitting.  My attempts to get their attention fail.  Their attention is on the hallway. 

I should probably mention that I am alone in the house.  This is where in every horror movie cliché you have ever seen where the lone female is in the house and a serial killer shows up.  Just as I am beginning to let my imagination run away from me, my husband texts me from the airport as he is waiting on his connecting flight. 

My cats are jerks.  There was nothing upstairs, and thankfully no bat or serial killer in the kitchen.  The rain was hitting the window and the cats were fascinated by the sound.  

Hyperbole and a Half

This book was a gift from my brother in law. I was confused by the many different colored pages, and all the pictures and I have come the conclusion that I have a flawed concept of art.  I didn't immediately gravitate to Hyperbole and  Half by Allie Brosh, because I was being judgmental about artistic quality. It could be because the art style is similar to a lot of popular memes out there, and I am really tired of memes and I didn't want to read a book full of them. I didn't want to read something that would be vapid and self gratuitous.  I can be a real jerk sometimes, and I did the one thing that a person should never do and that is judge a book by the cover.

Thankfully I got over myself, and cracked open the book. Hyperbole and a Half is not a book full of memes. It is a charming book full cleverly drawn antidotes.  They aren't your usual stories of everything is fine and nothing every really happens. Some of the stories talk about serious mental health subjects in a self deprecating manner that any one who has ever been touched by depression or anxiety can easy relate to and understand.  Not all of the antidotes have to do with depression or anxiety, but there is a mix of stories from childhood and current adventures and the confusing nature of dogs, which brings a well rounded depth to this book.  I found myself crossed between laughing and crying in more than one section of the book.

"Packing all of your belongings into a U-Haul and then transporting them across several states is

nearly as stressful and futile as trying to run away from lava in swim fins." -Allie Brosh

The confusing many different colored pages made sense once I started reading the book. Each section of colors is a different antidote and that little bit of genius made this book really easy to find my place if I had to put the book down and resume reading it later.   I wish more collections where set up this way, but then the odd bits of scrap paper and wayward receipts and movie stubs wouldn't be utilized as bookmarks as much.  The confusing art and style isn't confusing when you actually sit down and read the book, the style is perfect.  This book was the perfect gift that I didn't know that I wanted until I had it.  I have never been so happy to be wrong about something.