Robin Olson's blog

Bob Dole (my cat, not the ex-candidate for Vice President) has been coughing for about a week. I admit I didn't give him enough hairball remedy, but thankfully he, somehow, managed to hork this bad boy up.

Okay, it's gross, but you have to admit it's impressive, too! In all the years of discovering hairballs, I've never seen one this big.

So now, my dear readers, I challenge you. Can your cat blast a bigger hair hunk? You've got a week. You can't "make" a fake hairball with your hands or in photoshop. You need to include a ruler next to said hairball so we can see how long it is. It's gotta be the real thing. Also, include a photo of the cat who did the “horking.”

To enter, you must email a photo of the hairball w/ruler and photo of the cat who “made” it to: info@coveredincathair.com by Friday, April 23, 2010.

Prizes? Hey, do I look like I'm sponsored by a major corporation? I might have a Furminator or a box of Catnip Tea I can toss your way. Is it great motivation for you to send in pix? Heck no. Is bragging rights worth something to you? I think, YES! The winning hairball will be posted right here on CiCH, along with a photo of the now somewhat less hairy cat (if the owner provides one).

So stop cleaning up those messy hairballs and get out your camera, first!

Note: open to anyone who has a camera, a cat and a cat who just puked up a hairball. Please DO NOT HARM or otherwise induce your cat to vomit. I mean, really, do I have to put that in writing?

Wow. What a day.

Why is it every time something important is about to happen in my life that I can count on getting my period? What's up with that? Not only did I get it, but I GOT IT. You know what I mean? I swear my body is out to get me, but like everything else, perhaps it's a blessing in disguise?

Sure. Whatever you say.

So. BlogPaws!-my first Conference Presentation was this morning at 11:00 AM. I had practiced out loud, in the shower (hey, not that kind of practicing!), in the car, in my head when I laid down to go to sleep. I knew what I needed to say, but was worried I'd rush or fumble or both...or worse, forget the entire thing!

I knew I should try to be relaxed and calm. There are lots of nice folks here-about 250 of them. My PowerPoint presentation was only 10 minutes long, then I was to spend the remaining time on a panel discussion. The topic: “Leveraging Social Media.”

I promise I'll re-post this soon with photos, but for now, I can only write up some notes. Try to visualize...

...me. With bad cramps, feeling woozy. Slept for about an hour because I was an idiot and ate a HUGE chocolate cupcake before I WENT TO BED last night. Between the sugar and the caffeine, there was no hope I would really sleep. I DO know better, plus I'm worried that my Wii is going to yell at me when I get back home for eating like a moron while I've been in Columbus. Even now there's a HUGE vanilla cream puff from Schmidt's Sausage Haus sitting on the desk in our hotel room at the Westin!

Okay so back to visualizing me, sleepy, shaky, in my first session which was about how to do a product review without getting sued by the company whose product you're reviewing or get into trouble with the FTC. Basically, don't lie and be clear that you are reviewing something you were paid to review, if that's the case and you're off the hook if you didn't get paid, just don't be a twit and make declarations that are anything outside of simply “my own observation or opinion.”

Okay, common sense. What was dreadful about this session was one of the speakers was not able to show her slides. The computer locked up, then after restarting, they realized NO ONE knew the password to log onto the Mac! This poor woman, just calmly went on ahead and did her thing. Me, I thinking, “oh shit. I hope that doesn't happen to me. I'm dead meat if my presentation doesn't work—the same one that I still don't know if it got loaded onto a Powerbook or if it runs!”

I looked at my watch. My pulse was throbbing in my throat. My hands were trembling. Time to head to my session. I got upstairs and ran into Helin, one of the other presenters. I love Helin. She's from PeoplePets, so that make her super cool to know, but really without it I'd like her just as much. She's so cute and bubbly! She told me the room was still being used. They ran late! They ran SO LATE, it was 11 AM, instead of 10:45 am when we were supposed to get the room, get prepped and get going.

Ha ha ha. Another squeeze on my blood pressure! Those folks would not get out of OUR room!

They finally left and we started to set up. Jennifer Laycock went first. She ran her preso off her laptop. She was great. As I listened to her, I started to worry that she was going to talk too much about what I planned to say. I sat there and thought; “No..no..don't talk about analytics! Okay, yes, talk about Twitter, but no oh...don't talk about..ack!” Then I got so absorbed about worrying what she was going to say that I spaced out and thought I will have nothing to say! I am blank.

Then it was my turn. My Preso wouldn't run.

Oh $#$@#!

So I talked about doing stand up comedy. I made some jokes. They realized PowerPoint wasn't LOADED onto the laptop I was supposed to use. They tried MY powerbook, but the adopter (ha ha ha! I'm leaving that typo-I meant ADAPTER) didn't work. We used Jennifer's PC, but it took so long to get it working, I had to introduce Helin and she did her presentation while things were getting sorted out. What a mess!

I got back up to talk. This is it. I was shaking so hard, I could barely press the arrow key to advance the slides I designed. I told them about my journey blogging about Tweetie (remember him?!) and The Tweetie Chronicles. Sockington and Jason Scott. Instead of stumbling, it was smoothly delivered. I didn't go too fast, but I kept a good pace. I made everyone laugh and as I got near the end I was surprised it went so quickly. After the presentation was over, there was only time for a few questions. I was very happy that a few folks came up to me and told me to make sure I didn't give up on doing stand up comedy! Does that mean the presentation sucked? Hmmm...just realized that!

I think it went very well, considering everything that happened. It was so worth all the work and practice and looking back on it I can say I enjoyed it very much and hope to get the chance to do it again.

The rest of the conference was just fine. I learned a few things. I met a LOT of people. I need to sort through the enormous pile of cards I got and start figuring out who to check in with, who to follow on Facebook and Twitter and who to be real life buddies with. It was so much fun to meet Caroline, aka RomeotheCat on Twitter. She and her team kicked butt putting this conference together. For a first time event, it was great. Well put together, good food, good space, good folks. There's much more to write, but I'm just dead tired and I have a vanilla cream puff waiting for me.

I don't care if I have to face the wrath of my Wii, too. So there. I'm hormonal. I have my needs.

What a day. A day of no fighting, but not a day without tears. Mind you, I did well and have been enjoying learning more about Columbus and it's surrounds until Blog Paws got under way early this evening.

We starting out innocently trying to find a cool “foodie” quality place for breakfast. Sam and I both abhor eating at a hotel, partially because of the prices (they got ya, so they charge for it) and the food is usually not very inspired.

I found two choices. We headed towards one. Golden Donut & Diner. Just sounds yummy, right? We were both starving and ready to stuff ourselves. Not having a map, we gave the GPS the address and headed out. No sooner than we left our little part of town, we hit not a house or a block, but a NEIGHBORHOOD of boarded up, run down, empty single family homes, duplexes, and row houses. It was shocking. It broke my heart. I had no idea such hard times had fallen on Columbus. We kept driving down street after street. We saw maybe one or two people out. It was like the town had given up and either moved away or died. I saw a “For Sale” sign on a home. It was a cute, Craftsman style bungalow. $10,000.00. YES, TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Rough shape or not, all the other homes around it were empty and closed up. I felt terrible seeing this. This is not the America I live in. It's shameful. How did we let our fellow citizens down?

We found the diner, but I was too nervous to eat there. I should have done it and I feel badly. We found our second choice about a mile away. It's called, First Watch and the food was good. Really hit the spot.

As I watched the diners take their seats and eat their meals, I was tempted to ask them to tell me what happened to their town? But as Sam pointed out-this didn't happen over night. Whatever happened has been going on for a long time. Maybe I'm the last to know. I need to look into this situation further. I still intend on rescuing every cat I can, but these folks need some help, too.

Today I went home. 40 years ago I lived in Marysville, Ohio. I haven't been back there since I was 16. It's hard to look back on a place where you had a family that is now gone. To see it through the eyes of an adult. To wish you could go back and warn the little girl, who lived there, to love her parents more and to cherish each moment because they don't last forever.

I saw the Nestlè plant where my Father worked. I saw the garage where I stood with my Mother, across the street, waiting to pick my dad up during a bad thunderstorm. There was a big oak tree across the street. It got hit by lightning and the tree top exploded. The tree is long gone, but I remember it.

Near the old entrance to Nestlè where we waiting for my Father. To the right in the grass, was where the huge tree stood.

I saw my old house. 911 Sherwood Avenue. I got very choked up seeing it. I didn't expect that. The house is almost exactly the same. The color is a bit different. The tree out front is huge, but other than that, it's still a nice house in a nice, if a bit tired neighborhood. I remember riding my bike and running between the houses. I had no idea what would come to pass. Now I can't help but think, this will probably be the last time I ever go to Marysville. I will go on with my life knowing the house is still there, but the family that was my true treasure is long gone now and seeing it again was a grim reminder.

Home.

My God life is short.

Note: I had fully intended on writing about Blog Paws tonight since I've met so many nice people and want them to all love my blog should they stop by to visit it...but the events of the day wore too heavily on my heart and I just had to write about them. I hope you understand and check back tomorrow. I have my big 10 MINUTE presentation to give in the morning and a story to go with it (hopefully not one of being heckled or booed or forgetting what I was supposed to talk about!)

There's nothing like the excitement of packing up and going on a road trip with your beloved. The promise of the open road. Leaving your troubles behind you. The enjoyment of discovering more about the world around you, and yourself, while you're at it.

And...there's nothing like the threat of not going on the trip at all, just when you've finished packing and you need to load the car. But wait, first you must have a HUGE, blowout fight over the fact that you're stressed and short-tempered (because you don't want to leave late) and not being very nice. Okay. Let's have a big fight for two hours, so we can be certain to leave as LATE as possible, so the 660 mile drive will end around 12:30AM instead of 7PM! Great.

There's nothing like battling through CT, NY & NJ, followed by an endless drive across Pennsylvania. I swear that state GROWS while you drive it. All the up and down, curvy roads, the rain, the truckers who tailgate and the insane f-cker who almost hit us.

Yet, somehow, with all this, there's nothing like being able to find a way to work it out, to get over your petty/not-so-petty-but-you-don't-want-to-admit-it crap and attend to the task at hand. You make the 660 mile drive. You get to the hotel late. You eat a cold sandwich and pass out cold on the big, cat-less bed. You wake up to a new day, full of possibilities.

You awake to the purr of a garbage truck dumping something outside your window. You might be fearful that the shit storm is going to happen all over again, but you have that hope that today will be different. Today will be different! And if not, the trip was already worth it.

We made one stop yesterday, other than bathroom breaks. I scored a really cool 1950's lamp for my living room at the Atomic Warehouse, so that's good, right?

More from BlogPaws, life in Columbus, Ohio and The Sam & Robin Smackdown Show, soon!

Bags are packed. My first time leaving the cats alone in over two years. I have a great pet sitter, who is also a Vet Tech coming twice a day, but I know that all the hours between those two visits will give the little jerks plenty of time to destroy the house with their vengeful bladders and angry claws.

I've shut off my bedroom and a few other areas. Am hoping that allowing them access to my office, which is the prime afternoon napping location, will appease them. I fear I will find a spray coating of whiz on my keyboard, but so be it. It's only “stuff,” right?

I'm looking forward to having a break. I guess I just wonder what the price is going to be. I suppose it's not a good thing that I am bound to this place by cats. I thought I was the boss? How dumb am I? Don't answer that!

With any luck, I'll be blogging from BlogPaws with updates and pix from lovely Ohio and points in between.

The road is calling me...better get going.

Your fearful hostess,

Robin

Unfortunately, Blitzen cannot quite walk anywhere in Sam's shoes, but it doesn't stop him from trying.

I just hope the little sucker doesn't get into my lingerie drawer next.

Do not play with your food!

Okay, play with it, but eat it when you're done.

Bob LOVES frakenprey-which in this case is the neck and giblets of a chicken we were going to roast. I cut up some of the bits because Bob only has a few teeth. I don't have to worry about Blitzen, so he got a neck to gnaw on to help clean his chompers. He really had a blast dragging a chunk around, throwing it up in the air and carrying it in his mouth. No, not particularly hygienic, but I cleaned up after his playtime was over.

P.S. Bob and Blitzen LOVE their raw treats!

How do you get your furniture to look like it does at my house-covered with cat hair? First, throw away that lint roller refill and buy a new piece of furniture. In this example, it's a comfy chaise lounge. The process doesn't work on hard surfaces, so we opted to add nice, complimentary soft green cushion, to go with our cats fur colors. Some of you might say; “No! You need to match the cats fur so it doesn't show up as well. Only cowards do that. You need to embrace your cat-hair-covered-ness! Especially this season. You want your cat hair to “pop” off the surface, so if we could have gotten black cushions, we might have gone that route for a more dramatic effect.

Bob enjoys the brand new cushions. Not only do they compliment his fur color, but the surface is perfect for locking down and holding any loose fur from his coat.

Also, make sure the fabric has a rough texture. This not only attracts your cat it, but it also locks the fur down on the surface better and makes any feeble attempts to remove it nearly impossible.

While Bob sleeps, his fur is shedding, beginning the process of covering the cushions with his cat hair.

The time period between you revealing the new furniture and the cat sitting on it should be less than a few minutes. Clean cushions are passé!

At first, it may be difficult to let go of trying to clean off the cushions, but with patience and some will power you can achieve the same elegant look shown here.

Due to time constraints in getting this article to press on time, we had to create an “artist's” interpretation of how the lounge chair should look in a few days. This effect would require three additional and differently colored cats to also spend time shedding on the cushion. Your results may vary depending on the furniture color and color of your cat/s.

Remember, the look for Spring is big, and bulky cat hair covered cushions and bedding. I hope to see some photos of your covered in cat hair collection soon!

Little Blitzen is the last of Santa's Team to be in foster care. The rest are off to their forever homes. Blitzen would have been long gone had he not needed treatment for Ringworm. His last dose of meds will be on Saturday. He's had no sign of any ringworm for a few weeks. Other than an occasional sneeze, his health seems good.

I also let him out of his room a few weeks ago, too. Once the others were gone, it was too unkind to leave a little guy alone for so long. I knew it put my cats at risk of getting ringworm, but since the stuff is airborne, I had to figure they've all had a snoot-ful of it by now.

Blitzen loves the cat mat that Aunt Clare made him!

I think he's wear it if he could.

Bob's not too sure he wants to share the cat mat, even though there's one behind him...yes, it IS considerably smaller and Bob wants what Bob wants. Blitz is happy to have someone to roughouse with. Spencer is staying out of it this time.

Open the door to the deck and all fighting ends. The boys love the fresh air.

Blitz has been trying to find his place among the other cats. Petunia is very angry about him being here and Spencer has ramped up attacking her. It's a complex situation having eight cats. Spencer wants to bully Petunia and so does Bob. I can't understand why, though I do believe that Petunia might want to be the alpha cat OR she is so fearful that she needs a nicer alpha cat, instead of a bossy guy like Bob or Spencer. Having Blitzen here doesn't help her, but it does give the big boys someone to play with and chase around, so maybe they'll leave her alone a bit more often?

Someone's tail is growing faster than their body. I'm not sayin' who, though.

And don't think for a minute that Blitzen is in any danger. In fact, the little squirt instigates many of the clashes. He's not aggressive. he just wants to play. I've seen Spencer race up and down the stairs with Blitzen hot on his tail! It's great to see the cats running around more. Even Bob and Nicky, who have been slow to warm to Blitz, have begun to show signs of accepting him.

Blitzen and Nicky. Looks like the little guy has a long way to go yet before he's as big as Nicky-if that is even possible!

I feel bad for Blitzen. He's doing his best to fit in where there isn't a whole lot of room. He was sleeping between Sam and I most nights, but now he is under the bed. I think ”the girls,” Gracie and Petunia, had a talk with him and asked him to get lost. He won't even hang out on the bed and they rarely leave it. Something is up.

I know you want to come outside on the deck, but you're too young! Talk about guilt!

I really want Blitzen to be happy here. Sam is ready to adopt him. I see some definite benefit, but I also see the problems. He might not get as much time and attention from us as he would from a family with only one other cat, but he will have other cats to interact with here in addition to his human family. The problem is that this sweet little guy has had a few cats hiss at him, so now he's confused about being friends with other cats. I really hope he can find one or two of my guys to be closer to. I'm sure he misses the closeness he shared with Cupid and his sisters and it's not fair for him to go without cat companionship.

Blitzen has done very well adapting to a much bigger space, lots more cats and challenges. He remains a sweet tempered kitty and he always makes me smile.

I have to ask myself if I can be happy letting him go and knowing he's in a great home, that's not mine; or decide that although we weren't looking for another cat, that one found us.

It's time to adopt him or put Blitz on Petfinder.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson

From 2008. This is Poppy a few days after she was born. She's all grown up now, with her own forever family. She was one of the babies I still miss.

I'm definitely jonesing for some teenie tiny kittens in the house!