I'm sorry, quester. I am sure she will be comforted to see your note. It is so hard to know what to say, but mostly it is just knowing you care.

Volans I'm so glad you will have some good employment options.

So in Tday news- M said that NO! He and his mom were NOT going over to either his brother's or his sister's. "We're making Thanksgiving here." Although for some reason M was thinking Tday was NEXT Thursday... I have to pick up some last minute things tomorrow while I'm out. He will be doing all the cooking because I won't be home until 4.

I need to remember to take lunch on Thursday otherwise I will be without food. Normally work would feed us but they can't because of company policies about food during Covid.

Ugh, I was away from the board during the genesis, planning, and execution of the DX Memorial Zoom. I would have loved to see everyone.

My mother, due to her worrying habit of falling down a lot, had a subdural hematoma and needed to get a craniotomy and then was stuck in hospital limbo while insurance fucked around on approving a stay in a rehab facility. She was very unhappy. My sister dealt with all of that, every day - I live far away and she's awesome and medically knowledgeable - so I just hung out at home feeling helpless and useless.

Thanksgiving is just me and Tom - I'm trying out a turkey thigh confit recipe from Cooks Illustrated, so that's been a project. I also corned a beef brisket and have been making mozzarella cheese.

msbelle, Tom also initially thought it was Sunday morning today when he woke up.

We've been locked down and are locking down harder. I've had to go to the dentist a few times over the last month or so (get an overdue cleaning and get a partial crown/inlay) and it's weird to not have a mask on in front of people. The anxiety of not going to the dentist was competing big time with my COVID anxiety.

I'm glad people here are being safe and smart. Thank you.

Just as a quick catch up: my kitty died in the end of June after a dramatically quick kidney failure. About six weeks later, my roommate’s cat went into kidney failure as well (though we did have a month of fluids for the little man) and we lost him in the end of September.

Both cats were of an age and the timing was clearly coincidental.

Well, on Saturday my roommate brought home two little fosters - Rey and Finn. They’re about four months old and were found a few weeks ago on a dock on City Island. They’ve had very little contact with humans and are very skittish. Today I went into their room and after a while Finn came out from under the bed and I slid him a treat across the hardwood. He gamboled around for about ten minutes and was starting to walk closer to me when a noise outside startled him and ruined our fun. Boo.

It’s nice to have them here even as stealth kittens.

Hang out in their room pretending you aren’t anxious to grab them and play. That will help them get used to you and the new place and feel safe. When I was socializing a fearful new cat I’d sit there reading and usually curiosity made the cat want to come out of hiding for a look at me. I was careful to move slowly and speak softly and I managed to make friends even with a scruffy crabby senior girl I named Grace. That one took a long time but I’m glad I took her in.

I recommend starting a game of Kibble Chase and let them run around snagging treats. Fun is a good way to bond.

I was late watching Tim Minchin's opening number for the 2020 BAFTAs, but picked it up last night. One of the lyrics was "Who designed your tracksuit?"

Have you heard anything from his new album, Apart Together? "I'll Take Lonely Tonight" absolutely floored me, I haven't been so wrecked by a song since Hamilton.

Oh, hey, hi. Lot of sad news here - DX, fuck, don’t know what to say - but so many old friends too; I’ve not dropped in since Ita but Fi mentioned I should.

I’m sorry about the previous kitties, Trudy, but I’m glad the new kittens have found themselves in a good home. I’m sure they’ll realize it soon.

Hi, Jim! I probably post-date your time (I started posting on 9/11).

Trudy, feline kidney failure is terrible. I've experienced it quickly and slowly, and there's no better way to go through it. And the kittens will likely come around in time. Not as long as my Bally, I hope -- it took her 8 years.

Hey Jim!

My kitties took some time. They hid behind the air handler for a while. Now they are all over me.

I need to figure a way to focus on work stuff. It just isn't happening and my guilt level is increasing.