Robin and Miracleborns - yay for the nice new place having.

As far as bitey, scratchy kittens go, I always recommend not playing with kitten with your bare hands. There are so many great interactive toys that can keep our thin skin separated from their sharp claws, not to mention gloves, oven mitts, and ever popular sheets and blankets. Sure it takes some of the spontaneity out of it, but like with condoms the protection is worth it. Kittens are preprogrammed to wrestle more or less constantly with their littermates and parents, who are protected from sharp little teeth and tiny claws by a nice thick layer of fur. For feral and working cats, the strength, fighting, and hunting skills developed by this are imperative. Kittens generally do not understand that their human friends are lacking in that protection.

eta: re: Stevens Point

Sentry Insurance. That's it. It was bugging me that I couldn't remember it.

Also, in high school we had math competitions there.

Oh yeah, my first two years of college were at UW-Stevens Point. Then I transferred to UW-Madison. The students at UW-Stevens Point all seemed to come from small towns or the country (as did I) so they seemed pretty conservative and provincial compared to students at UW-Madison. Wait - there was one guy from Milwaukee. Who was an asshole.

Spending your birthday in Ft. Wayne! Exciting. Only you'll miss Bluffton's Street Fair the week after. Bluffton's only 20 minutes south of Ft. Wayne. cc: Abi.

Great. I'm missing Ft. Wayne's exciting thing.

This will be the third time I spend my birthday trip with Abi, the second with the Miracleborns. Cashmere (and Deena? she's nearish too, right?) I'd love to add you to the tradition of Buffistas making my whack-ass birth date happy once again. (It started in 2002 when I spend it in Halifax with Elena, her DH, Sue, and the rest of the Haligonians).

Most of 'em do back off when you make the hurt kitten noise. Their little walnut brains just don't remember next time (in appr. one and a half minutes) they get the urge to wrestle-subdue-kill!

Robin, did I say? I thought it made it out my finger-ends, but maybe I only thought it really loud--your house is adorable! I really love that vintage house.

Aimee! Congratulations! A palace for the Imperial family, yay!

Great. I'm missing Ft. Wayne's exciting thing.

I'm sure they will be more fun while you're there! I'll have to see what's up when we get back from Hawaii. We'll be coming to pick up the kids on the 13th and back home for Owen to go to preschool but I'll see what I can do for a road trip to the Summit City (yeah, it's called that).

serial:

Woot on the newest Casa de Miracleborn! Yay for freedom!

I'll see what I can do for a road trip to the Summit City (yeah, it's called that).

Because it has the hill?

Because it has the hill?

Highest point on the Erie Canal.

Gronklies.

JZ, best of luck on the job sitch.

AIMEE!!! HOUSE!!!! YAY!!!!!!!

Robin, what a pretty house you have, too!!

I played a couple rugby games at UWSP. It wasn't too bad - very bucolic.

Prolly NWS, a guy makes a portrait of Bush out of porn mags. [link]

It's really pretty good. The details are more NSFW than the overall image (where you really can't make out much).

ETA: link