foster care

So, I put my new relationship with Oscar to its first test last night - I went out for the night and left him to his own devices for about twelve hours.  Well, here's the list of damages:

1. Front Closet: annihilated.  Every hanger was on the floor and every shoe was thoroughly investigated.  The fact that he can open the closet door is pretty incredible in and of itself.
2. Plants: they were the true casualties...
• Bamboo plant: a housewarming gift from Senator.  Now mulch.
• Spider plant: her babies didn't survive the first afternoon; she was mauled last night.  She's recovering in the bedroom; I cannot guarantee her safety when I'm not home though.  More on that later.
3. My couch clearly lost a wrestling match.  I even covered it with a blanket that Oscar slept on, but no dice.  Blanket on floor; lots of new scratches on the couch

Sigh.

Oscar

Having never been a cat person (or a pet person, really), no one was more shocked than I when I accepted the ownership of Oscar.  He's a 16-month-old tuxedo tabby who is quiet, playful and has a cute way of bumping his entire body against your legs in order to get free pets from you.  He doesn't seem to eat a lot, uses his litter box (and then comes and tells you about it) and like to snuggle while you watch TV.

There is one slight problem: I'm allergic to the buttercup.  Not deathly or anything - the doctor says it will either get better or get worse - no way to tell without just giving it a shot.  So Oscar moved in on Thursday night.

Now Playing: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Thanks to a rescue staged by LilBro and his trusty steed (Buick), I was able to see Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows last night, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Noomi Rapace, whose turn in the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was indelible. 

My first thought after seeing this movie was: what would Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have thought?  Were he alive, I'm sure it would be: "Money money money, mon-ey... MON-AY!"  Having never made it through Doyle's work, I can't say whether it's true to text  (though some may have better insight than me); what I can say is that this Holmes/Watson pairing is fun and believable in their own way. 

In comparison to the staccato-quick original, Game of Shadows felt a bit sluggish: even though it wasn't much longer in run-time than most movies, I was restless two-thirds of the way through.  And, spoiler alert, I missed Rachel McAdams.  I thought Irene Adler was a perfect foil for Holmes; Madam Simza wasn't utilised as much more than a plot device, which was s wasteful shame.  And Moriarty?  well, for one of the best literary villains of all time, he was ... boring.  Mark Strong's turn as Lord Blackwood was much better.  If this is a setup for a threequel, they could have made more of an effort.  3 out of 5 stars.

oh me oh Maya

So 2012 isn’t starting off very well. I mean, a sprained ankle that get misdiagnosed and sticks me with a twelve-week cast? Yeah, that sucks. This means no escaping to a hot country for a week (or two), no conferences until April (when they’re all finished), no movie theatres or road trips… yeah, sucks.

And being back at work has been… a struggle. I have some amazing colleagues who have offered to shuttle me back and forth so I can at least avoid cabs to/from work (which would really be annoying as I live 2 minutes away) and my staff have been wonderful with coffee in the morning and print-job pickups. It’s just, by afternoon, I feel drained and sore. It can’t be good that I look forward to my pain meds more than I look forward to sleep.

Since I have been stuck at home, with nothing better to do, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Some of which is good: I was able to pay down my mortgage a whole year earlier with some clever negotiating. Some of it has been not-so-good, with some hard decisions being made. I read somewhere that 2012 is for the brave; for this inherent coward, 2012 is bound to be an uncomfortable year. Thanks a lot, Ancient Mayans.