my cats find much comfort in each other. i've found that during short car rides if i put them in separate carries they yowl like it's the end of the world (even though each cat individually in the car is entirely silent, they feed off each other's misery) but if i put them together in a larger carrier they STFU. Worth a try.

eta: i've only driven cross country with one, so i don't know if the shared space comfort effect would hold true for days as it does for 30 min trips.

Trudy = I'm trying to get a crate big enough for them to be together.

They are pretty mellow cats. Let me rephrase that....they aren't very neurotic cats. Dean's energy level has been through the roof lately and he's taken to playing with his favorite paper ball at night. I've had to confiscate it twice to get some sleep.

Plus they are fairly quiet. Dean has been chirpping more lately but not a real meow. Maddie will occasionally murff ( a kind of purry chirppy sound). I don't think I've ever heard a real meow come out of her mouth. Even when she's stuck on the wrong side of the door. She just claws at it.

When I transported my two cats from Stockton to San Diego, I made the mistake of building a custom crate, giving them plenty of room to see around. It was a misery. The younger one literally stood on the head of the older one and screamed for the whole of the 14 hours.

I wish I'd covered the crate. That would have made a world of difference, I think.

Oh, Bartleby. Frankie is jealous of your accomplishments.

I wish y'all could come to the jazz funeral! bonny, I love that you did one at an actual cemetery. I think this has to happen. Yes. Also, this is my theme song right now (warning for f-bomb) [link]

I foolishly went inside the Borders on my way home from work. Today was the first real hot day, so I was a little dehydrated and definitely hungry. Baaaad move. 1.5 hours and $200 later, I stumbled out with an armful of books and cds and then went to Wendy's b/c I was so hungry, and that was nasty. Urgh. Let's hope I don't hate everything I bought, and that I actually read some of it.

Also, this is my theme song right now (warning for f-bomb) [link]

Oh my. That about covers it.

Let me know when the second line rolls and I'll raise an umbrella to your freedom.

Oh my. That about covers it.

Doesn't it just? Also, she sells this bit of merch: [link]

Let me know when the second line rolls and I'll raise an umbrella to your freedom.

Ta, darling.

In other news, the guy I went out with Thursday is currently trying to convince me over chat that the Paleo diet will cure my depression. @@

I'm home, the new braces are a little loser than optimal because I had them fitted just after I came off the steroids, but with thick socks and careful use of my crutches, I should be able to get around on them at least until I can get them readjusted.

Poor beth. Being sick is no fun. And yeah, that's how 'ffistas roll. When one's down, the others can take up the comforting/advising slack. Which is awesome.

The SO gave me a mental health day off today. I resisted, but was it ever the right call. I slept till eleven, puttered about, ate lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch, drank Earl Grey tea (2 boxes for $4!) and played Sims. AND it got me back on track enough to where I actually managed household chores today! Dishes, cleaned out fridge, which made it into the trash before the trash guy came, yay!, and laundry. I would go into the attic, except I can't figure out where the SO left the cordless drill, so I'm going to count it as enough.

I really do feel much more level, somehow. I took a little time to take an inventory of what I'm feeling and what I'm reacting to. I had an epiphany that while the Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami did not end up having a personal effect on me, it was also not an entirely external event for me either, basically affecting me on an identity level.

That helped enough to let me acknowledge that I'm basically experiencing a reaction to trauma, even though I didn't experience it directly. So internet resources for PTSD have proved much more helpful than internet resources for depression. Because I'm not having self-image problems, really. I mean, I could be the pope, and I wouldn't be able to solve this problem.

So digging my way out of this hole is going to be more about finding ways to recognize my reactions, experience them, and channel them. So I have a self-care plan!

And it includes social support. You guys are my social support, right?

Thanks for the kind words, all. I'm feeling a little better this evening. I spent nearly an hour this afternoon in a conversation with a young person who'd spent some time in juvie and never finished high school and was now trying to "turn his life around". He kept asking me about what I did, and what jobs I'd had and how did I get to where I am, and what books and magazines I read, and what I thought was the most important thing he could do to succeed. He asked me if my education had really helped me, and how hard it was to run a business, and if I thought he should learn another language. I did my best to be encouraging, and answer his questions focusing on him and not me. After that conversation, I felt like maybe I'm not such a loss as a human after all. I've done a lot of stuff, I know a lot of actually useful stuff, and despite that I haven't done everything I wanted to do, I have done pretty well. At the end of the day I'm still fat, but maybe being fat is the least important thing about me, and maybe I should focus on the things that really are important.

Then I ate pizza.

Good for you, Zen. That sounds great.