Friday, January 8, 2016

new year, new kitten

You may or may not have noticed a picture of Binky on the sidebar. It's still there, and will remain, if you care to go look.

We had a magnificent run, she and I.  I got her in the fall of 1997, I believe, as a tiny little ball of fluff only weeks old.  She was with me from about my sophomore year of college until just this past July.  I'm 38. I'm tearing up just typing it. She consoled me through some of the worst years of my life, through a lot of strife with my parents, depression in grad school, and my first (and I'm proud to say, only) deeply broken heart. I miss her terribly.


Wasn't she beautiful?


In early September, my sister in law texted a photo of a kitten and not much else, other than he was 5 weeks old and I folded like a wet cardboard box.  I've told people for ages that I live alone but, until Binky was gone, that hadn't actually been true.  The day I had her put to sleep and I came home from work to what was then a TRULY EMPTY HOUSE was an eye opening moment in the pet ownership department.  I had talked to her.  She had talked to me.  I don't believe it mattered to either of us that we had no clue what the other was saying (though we seemed to understand each other just fine).

So my friend CVH and I picked up another little ball of fluff only weeks old and I named him Captain Howdy.  Yes, after the demon from The Exorcist.  When he's REALLY bad, I call him Pazuzu and post it on social media with the hashtag #captainhowdythatsnotverynice.  I enjoy it.  And I enjoy him.  He's chewing up everything I own, including my hands and feet, and I'm loving every minute of it.


Welcome to Holley's House, Captain Howdy!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Movies and Reading of 2015

Boy, was I off the pace for reading this year! One year it was 170, this year 44.  I've had a lot of fun though.  And I read some really great books in amongst the erotica ;-)

Unfortunately, I also gained a lot of weight.  Enough to affect the fit of my clothing.  I've been wearing a lot of leggings and skirts because I can't get into my pants and I am NOT buying bigger clothing.  I said last year was the year I was going to get down to my goal weight of 180 and I failed miserably.  Epically.  Unequivocally.

Moving on, I'm going to reach my goal this year.  It's time to get it done and finally get my Edgar suit removed.  It'll put me in debt for the rest of my natural life and I'll look like I was attacked by a shark for a while, but I haven't worked this hard just to wallow around in pounds and pounds of empty skin.  I started last year off at 214, got down to 202 midyear, then skyrocketed back up to my current 226 at year's end.  My self esteem, not to mention my arthritic knees, have suffered.  Time to turn it around!  

Books of 2015

  • 44. Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice
  • 43. Outcast: A Darkness Surrounds Him by Robert Kirkman et al
  • 42. The Only Child by Guojing
  • 41. The Walking Dead: Book 12 by Robert Kirkman et al
  • 40. The Walking Dead: Book 11 by Robert Kirkman et al
  • 39. The Walking Dead: Book 10 by Robert Kirkman et al
  • 38. Buttercups & Daisy by Elizabeth Cragoe
  • 37. Last Things by David Searcy
  • 36. 30 Days by Christine d'Aho
  • 35. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
  • 34. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
  • 33. The End of Overeating by David Kessler
  • 32. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
  • 31. Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein
  • 30. Color by Victoria Finlay
  • 29. The Voices by F. R. Tallis
  • 28. Salem's Lot by Stephen King
  • 27. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
  • 26. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
  • 25. The Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway
  • 24. Spinster by Kate Bolick
  • 23. The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay
  • 22. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
  • 21. Something Like Winter by Jay Bell
  • 20. The Forbidden by Frank Tallis
  • 19. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
  • 18. The Collector by Nora Roberts
  • 17. Clariel by Garth Nix
  • 16. 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
  • 15. Don't Mess with Texas by Christie Craig
  • 14. Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh
  • 13. Wicked Waves by Sharon Kay
  • 12. The Most They Ever Had by Rick Bragg
  • 11. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  • 10. The Night Belongs to Fireman by Jennifer Bernard
  • 9. Chained by Night by Larissa Ione
  • 8. Finding the Lost by Shannon K. Butcher
  • 7. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
  • 6. Saga: Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
  • 5. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
  • 4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  • 3. Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher
  • 2. Craft Fail by Heather Mann
  • 1. Maplecroft by Cherie Priest

At the Movies 2015

  • 17. Krampus
  • 16. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • 15. The Hateful Eight
  • 14. Sisters
  • 13. Crimson Peak
  • 12. The Martian
  • 11. The Visit
  • 10. Auntie Mame (AL Theater)
  • 9. Magic Mike XXL
  • 8. Terminator Gynesis
  • 7. 40th anniversary of Jaws in theaters!
  • 6. Jurassic World
  • 5. San Andreas
  • 4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • 3. It Follows
  • 2. Into the Woods
  • 1. Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death