Anna Carrasco Bowling's Blog, page 20

Typing With Wet Paws: Pre-Home-i-Versary Edition

Tails up Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. In case you were wondering where I was last week, have you noticed that I am a cat? That’s kind of our thing. I was probably in a box, or in Aunt Linda’s window. I’m here now, and isn’t that all that really matters?

Photo by Rheuben Bowling

On October first, we will officially begin our second year in this apartment. Technically, we moved in a week before that, but I’m too comfy to check the calendar or ask Aunt Anna for the exact date. October also means coming up on my adoptiversary, when I first came to live with these guys, which was a year before that. I have asked for a red dot for my present. I love red dot, especially at night. Aunt Anna agrees I need more toys, though honestly, I’m good with midnight parkour. Not going to say no to toys, though. I love toys. They are fun, and also nice to have around when I want to give Aunt Anna a present, since I am an indoor only girl.

October is also Aunt Anna’s birthday (closer to the end. Um, of the month, not of her) and then Halloween one week later. After that, it’s straight into the holidays, with Thanksgiving prep (the humans are doing ham this year. I will be getting tuna.) then it’s Christmas and Boxing Day (which kind of does have something to do with boxes) and New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day and then after that comes the ugh weather and Aunt Anna may go underground again until September. Okay, not that extreme, but she really does prefer the autumn and winter, and those superpowers are very much kicking into gear.

I totally get how Aunt Anna is only snow really relaxing and settling in; I was the same way when I graduated from First Mom’s house and came to these guys. The first couple days, I stayed in my adventure cave and taking their measure. When I figured out they love me and are okay, I draped myself over a sleeping Aunt Anna, and well, here we are. It’s pretty nice.

One thing Aunt Anna is doing to make sure she can be at her best level right now is to make sure she stays in touch with her human friends. That means an increasing amount of video chats, which means more chances for me to crash said video chats. I love when humans in the glowy box tell me I am beautiful. They are right. Still never hurts to hear it. Fall is also good for snuggling with tea and blanket and lots of pillows and a good book. Most importantly of all, a kitty. By which I mean me. Aunt Anna can drink tea with on hand and then rub my belly with the other. Hm. Maybe she should consider an audiobook in that case.

It’s been pretty interesting around here as of late, as Aunt Anna gets back into writing gear, and all of the humans are talking about moving things in from storage and that kind of thing. What I take from all of that is “more boxes,” which is a a very happy ending for me.

How’s your week?

Headbonks!

photo by Rheuben BowlingStorm

Anniversaries (not the romantic kind) and Other Stories

Yesterday was my and my friend Mary’s 20th friendiversary. It was four days after 9/11. We weren’t sure if the event where we would meet in person for the first time, an American Revolutionary War reenactment, was still happening. It was. I brought Housemate, she brought her hubby and then six-year-old son, who is now a firefighter and a fiancé. It’s been that long. Right away, I knew that this was found family for life. I am glad to see that I was right. Real Life Romance Hero was working that day, but when he was able to meet them in person, he blended in seamlessly. To say we have been through a lot together is an understatement.

Mary and I had our weekly everything and nothing talk. I cannot say how much good one of those chats with a good friend can do. Thankfully, I have a lot of such friends. I know I have been remiss in staying in contact of late, but it’s been, well, a lot in the last couple of years. Things are getting better now. We are coming up on another important anniversary, that of moving into our current home. We are already renewed for another year. It’s time to let out the breath we didn’t know we’d been holding (phrase used ironically) and relax.

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That means reading. That means writing. That means having my special things around me; gargoyle pencil holder, CORW awards, Elaine Duillo print that I need to reframe, and my and Melva’s first book cover together, that needs framing itself. My secretary desk, with all of its cubbyholes, my favorite classic historical romance novels in the bookcase my father built from scratch when I was a baby. It means reading the first paperback I bought in two years because it’s safe to do so. It means Walking through the park and looking for waterfowl, always my favorite neighbors. It means cutting myself some freaking slack because :gestures at last few years: Yeah. That stuff.

Which brings us back to :deep breath: writing. Specifically writing fiction. Specifically writing commercial fiction. Which means walking in that direction even if it feels wooden and rote for a little while. Crappy first drafts, even if those are crappy second drafts. To quote a friend with whom I do need to reconnect, “you’ll suck at first and then you’ll get better.” Wise words, and ones I am more than happy to tell to others.

Where am I going with this? Nowhere, really. It’s a blog post and that’s what I intended. It’s also fair warning that if you haven’t heard from me for a while, it’s because :gestures at past few years: and I will probably be showing up soon. Which will mean taking my own pictures again, which I dearly miss. Taking stationery pictures means figuring out the stationery situation, probably a cull, and definitely some refining. That will be a journey in itself. Stationery isn’t “just” stationery. Few things are “just” anything, for that matter. At least for me.

How about you? What anniversaries do you mark, other than the romantic relationship kind?

Survival Drama Binge Babble

Right now, I am sitting at my laptop with wet hair, because, somehow, in the midst of all the Monday stuff, I am coloring my hair. I don’t remember the last time. I am listening to summaries of horror movies I will never watch, on YouTube, because A) I work better when hearing human voices, ;and B) it’s pretty good at getting my brain in storytelling mode, without the risk that any of it would naturally seep into my own work. Hm. Maybe that’s why I read as my contemporary YA as I do. Hm. I’m going to put a sticky note on that.

Okay, the historicals do get kind of dark. I will admit that. It’s part of my charm. It may also be one of the reasons I have been bingeing on survival dramas on various streaming services. Bonus points if the show is not American. Subtitles are fine, as I would rather listen to the original language and read the English translation than listen to dubbed dialogue. Then again, there are some dubs that are right up there with the original language.

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Currently, the show of choice is season two of Into the Night, a Belgian show where a solar event has ended most life on earth, but for a few plucky survivors (seriously, I am 100% there for a small band of plucky survivors in the midst of a disaster) who were on a hijacked airplane when it all went down. The title comes from the fact that our survivors have to fly during the sunlight hours, always away from the sun (aka into the night) so they can touch down in darkness and scramble to get any fuel they need for themselves and their plane. Sometimes they pick up stragglers along the way. Sometimes those stragglers are Not Nice People.

Case in point: touching down in an airport in Scotland to get more fuel. They have more fuel. Yay. They also have three British soldiers, some of whom can do Plane Stuff. Yay. They can come with. This will take some of the workload off Original Pilot (who only has one working hand) and Substitute Co-Pilot, who used to fly helicopters for the French military, but is new to the plane thing. Once in the air, though, one of our Plucky Survivors learns that New British Soldiers are actually war criminals, recalled for a court martial for Very Bad Crimes. Oh noes. What to do, what to do? Also, if we have a standard for them, what does that mean for Turkish Man who has a shady professional past, but is also bonding big tie with Ill Russian Boy, and IRB’s lovely young mum? Thankfully for IRB, there is a nurse on board, a home health worker who lost her own patient early on in the adventure.

When the first season ended, our Plucky Survivors have found an underground military bunker, where they can hunker. Yay. Only, they are not alone. Uh oh. A politician and soldiers are also hunkering there, but they seem friendly. Yay? Then Bad Things happen, including a fire that wipes out most of their food supply. Oh noes. Suffice it to say that I am not bored. The cast is diverse, not only from country of origin, by walk of life. Every episode, we get a glimpse at somebody’s life Before. I love that stuff, because it’s new information and gives new insight to the choices the character makes now in the worst nightmare scenario.

This is all probably going into the idea soup for my second medieval historical romance, which takes place in the wake of the plague. Other ingredients for idea soup will include medieval romances, because romance. Still backburner at this point, but it’s all part of the process.

Where am I taking this all? I write about survivors. Well, obviously, as otherwise they would be zombies, ghosts, or necrophiliacs. That Thing, though, that people hang on to in the midst of the worst, that Thing that keeps them going; I love finding out what that is for a character. For two characters. Discover the way their Things can work together, make something good even when good things are not the thickest things on the ground.

That’s where the start of this week finds me. How are you doing?

Fall Cleaning And Other Stories

Two years ago, yesterday, we left our last apartment, not knowing it would be over a year before we found a new one. 0/10, do not recommend. In two more weeks, we will celebrate -and that is absolutely the right word- our first full year in our new home. Lease renewal came yesterday, which I think is awesome timing. Tomorrow is both a state inspection for code on our building, and the first time I will have seen two of my cousins (who are mother and son) since I lived in CT. One is coming rom NJ, the other from AZ. There is a large age gap between me and my older cousin, as my mother was her mother’s baby sister, and adopted me in her forties.

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This will be the first time I will have seen them without an older generation present. I am interested to see how this will go, how we interact as adult to adult. I look forward to getting current with them both, and introducing the to Real Life Romance Hero (who will be on Storm duty during the inspection; he’ll join us later) and Housemate. Introducing my family to my family. After that, it’s back to writing. Really, Okay, and planning on getting stuff out of storage and putting down some dang roots. I am excited to be reunited with my secretary desk in the very near future. Also my gargoyle pencil holder and collection of classic historical romance novels.

Today, apart from writing this blog post, I am on tidy the house duty, aka fall cleaning. Thankfully, that won’t take much, and I will have a decent amount of time at the end of the day to delve into my Sims and/or read. I could definitely do better with reading. Especially bundled in blankets, against the mountain of pillows on the big bed, with a cup of hot tea and feline companion Storm as near as feline-ly possible. I need a certain amount of relaxation to get into the type of read I prefer, and that hasn’t been the most prolific thing in the world for a while. Time to train myself into it again. That’s not a bad thing.

Fall has always been when my super powers return. I joke sometimes about having Seasonal Affective Disorder installed backwards, where fall and winter perk me and spring and summer have the opposite effect. That’s actually a thing. I have learned to lean into it. That works rather well for days lie today, when there are still chainsaws to juggle, but now they are the fun kind.

So, where am I going with this? Well, I have a blog entry now, and have a short break from the housework stuff, as well as a reminder that Many Writing Things lie ahead. I get to fuss and putter and put things where I want them to be, some sort of TV-ish thing playing in the background for added normality, though our TV is still in storage and will probably stay there. Streaming services fill that need quite nicely, and at my convenience. Still needs more survival dramas, though. Producers, please get on that. Thank you.

What are your plans for this week?

Typing With Wet Paws: Freestyle Hydration Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Aunt Anna is adulting again, so I get to write about whatever I want. Since I am a cat, that is no surprise to anybody that I pick myself as the theme. I mean, look at me.

yes, this is a greatest hits picture. I’m a cat. Uploading is hard.

Anyway, the first story is about how smart I am. I am a strong, independent kitty. I am a strong, independent kitty who don’t need ho hoomans. Okay, I do need hoomans. I flew solo for a few days last summer, and 0/10, do not recommend. Indoor kitteh for lyfe.

Anyway, I have three water bowls. One is in Aunt Linda’s room and the other two are in the big bedroom with Aunt Anna and Uncle Rheuben. I like to stay hydrated. When one of my water bowls is empty, I rattle it with my paw. That usually attracts a human to fil the water bowl, and then I can drink again. This time, my rattling did not wake any humans. I was to learn later that Aunt Linda did hear it but didn’t recognize that I was asking her for more water and thought I was just playing. Silly Aunt Linda. Water is serious business.

So I thought to myself, Self, how else can we get some water? Then I remembered that there is a big water dish in the bathroom, aka people litterbox. There’s lots of water in that. Maybe the seat would be up and I could get to it. Well, it was, and I did. That was also exactly when Aunt Linda walked in. I am not going to tell you what she wanted to do with the big water bowl in the people litter box, but I bet you can guess. It’s gross. I did not get down because she told me to get down I got down because I wanted to get down. That’s an important difference.

Needless to say, all of my bowls got refilled after that and the natural order has been restored. I should also mention that Uncle Rheuben and I finally got to share his birthday tuna. I do enjoy a good dish of people tuna, and when I can share it with my favorite (only) uncle, that makes it even better. He puts mayonnaise in his, though. People are weird.

The other big news here is that it looks like I am getting a new cousin. One of my other aunts, who lives in a different state, found a little guy under her car the other morning. He has six toes on each foot. Some people call that polydactyl. Some call it Hemingway cat. I call it overachieving, because I do quite fine with four beans on each paw. Not really something he picked on his own though. I won’t say more until I have permission from the aunt to say more, but he’s a cute booger.

There is a bunch of fall cleaning going on over here, which is part of why Aunt Anna is adulting. That kind of thing allows her to work out writing things in the back of her head, so it is kind of writing related. She refreshed my favorite hangout spots with a sprinkle of catnip. I think that was very considerate of her. At present, my favorite spots are:

upside down lap desk next to Aunt Anna’s people deskactual cat bed on the linen chest at the foot of the people bedthe big people bed (especially when people are on it)windowsill in Aunt Linda’s roomAunt Linda’s reading chairAunt Anna’s office chair, but I have to get out of it when she saysUncle Rheuben’s desk (on top of it)my big cardboard box

I know that’s a small list, but it works for me. I also like crossing under the bed and pretending I am driving through a tunnel. Uncle Rheuben calls this “the expressway.” Fun fact: I can make it from the big people bed to the door that leads to the kitchen in one sproing. How’s that for energy efficient?

I think that’s about it for right now, but remember. No matter what the weather report says, there is a one hundred percent chance of Storm activity at our place.

love, Storm

September

The fans are off today, though the windows are still open. I have leggings and a sweatshirt on as well as one of RLRH’s oversize t-shirts. I am making hot tea. Bed is made and laundry put away. I have the first point on my list of edits for A Heart Most Errant running on my brain’s back burner as I do these things, and things I have stressed over since literally February, are falling naturally into place. This feels right.

On Tuesday, I had a wonderful four and a half hour “lunch” with an IRL friend who is now also a writer friend. We both spoke of wanting an in-person writing buddy to talk at(this is extremely important for extroverts, as talking and thinking often happen at the same time) and, well, we were in person, and we are both writers. We don’t exactly write the same sorts of stories, but close enough, and we obviously mesh well, so we are giving biweekly Zooms a try. That starts next week

On Wednesday, I had a three hour video chat with another bestie, Our conversations go allll over the place, and this was no exception. After that I crashed. Hard. Then Real Life Romance Hero came home and ordered delivery (meatball subs from a local establishment, which were amazing) and I spent some time playing Sims 4, then actual sleep. Nine hours. No fan, no earbuds. Also amazing.

Which brings us to today. Not going to lie, I am thrilled that I can wear a sweatshirt (and I will need more as the season progresses.) Abovementioned bestie sent me a treasure trove of perfume samples, which I am wearing every day. We are coming up on the one year anniversary of moving into this apartment. That also means it will have been about two years since I had been presenting myself the way I would prefer to do. As in makeup, clothing, jewelry, hair, etc. That this happens at the same time spooky stuff is showing up in stores is not a bad thing by any means. Not that I plan to suddenly turn this into a style blog, but style is something I love. Being able to express it again is an absolute delight, especially when some areas mean basically starting from scratch.

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The blog I had planned for yesterday would have been about my fascination with survival dramas (Lost, Dark, The Rain, The Walking Dead universe, etc) and I still plan on doing that in the future, but the special thing about today is how regular it feels. I like that about today. I am already thinking of another cup of tea. Maybe. It’s not quite fall enough to start baking cookies but I think it is indeed getting there. I can get used to that. After dinner tonight, I have a date with a good book. Swell, more than one. Reading one on the front burner, letting the writing questions about others sort themselves out on the back burners.

No real point to this post, which is okay. Sometimes a stream of consciousness is what feels most authentic, so that’s what goes on the page.

How about you?

Asking the Right What Ifs

On Wednesday, it will be September. In our family, that means the unofficial start of autumn, and maybe more importantly, the return of my superpowers. It’s also the time for the seasonal turnover of planners, which took up a lovely portion of my Sunday afternoon. I love that ritual, of curating my planning supplies, moving from summer vibes (as much as I do, which isn’t much, as it’s not my favorite season) and into my natural environment. Bring on cool days, warm afghans, hot tea, big books, and all that good stuff.

In a writing perspective, that includes writing those books as well. Another part of the afternoon was me going over my edits letter from Safeword Author Services, which I cannot recommend highly enough for any author looking to hire an editor. Awesome encouragement, excellent insight, and I actually agree with the changes my editor proposed…so why haven’t I made them since February? That’s kind of a while.

First, let me introduce you to my non-besties, Anxiety and Depression, and the common author challenge of mind numbing terror when it comes to working on some of the tough stuff. But is it really? Sometimes, it’s as easy as asking the right questions. When I set up my writing notebook for historicals, I made sections for A Heart Most Errant, and Her Last First Kiss, with another for general tips and ideas for future project. For AHME, the first thing in there is the editorial letter. I read it through, then highlighted the areas I needed to address, color coded for hero (blue) heroine (pink) and general writing (green.) If I had a villain POV, which this book does not, then that would get a yellow highlight, because yellow is my least favorite color.

When I have Character A flip flopping from X to Not X a couple times throughout the story, making that decision for them wasn’t going to do. Instead, I turned to a fresh page and asked myself, “How does Character A feel about X, really?” Pros. Cons. Why they can hold both beliefs at once. Both hero and heroine in this book are trauma survivors (which is probably true for most of my characters in any story) so that is going to play into how they react to things, even good things. There’s also whether Character B would really focus on Y at a given moment. If they don’t focus on Y, then what would catch their attention instead? What would be more important? How does Not-Y fill a more urgent need than Y?

The only way to find that out, for me, is to do what I did when I wrote the beginning of My Outcast Heart, my first published historical romance (out of print right now; stay tuned for reissue talk) — follow my character as they run off on their own and write down what they do. It’s not entirely pantsing, as I can tell them “okay, here’s what has to happen next,” but usually, they figure out how they are going to that on their own, in their own particular way. It’s also not always in order. When I wrote Orphans in the Storm, my fourth historical (also out of print right now) I wrote both ends against the middle. I knew how it started, I knew how it ended, but connecting those two?

grab this gif; not mine

That was a matter of connecting “what happened after that?” with “what happened before that?” Repeat until the two ends meet. (I do not recommend the other notable thing about this manuscript, which was losing the whole file, after I had already sold it, but if you do, be sure to have an awesome critique group with hardcopies.) In this case, it’s translating to “okay, if X didn’t work, what could be Y?” Not what is, necessarily, but what could be? In the words of an online writer friend, “it’s just riffing.” Have fun. Chuck some ink on that paper and see what transpires. For my money (and that which I hope comes from it) it’s well worth the trip.

How are you getting ready for September?

Survival Dramas, Historical Romance, and Stationery Love

After a long time of not watching TV (streaming, on devices; we haven’t taken our TV out of storage and don’t miss it) I finally came back to it, when Netflix added Season Ten of The Walking Dead. I binged that very quickly, immersed in the lives of characters such as domestic abuse survivor turned badass at large Carol, can-he-be-redeemed ex (and future?) villain Negan, and waaaay beyond fixing Alpha. Carol/Ezekiel, or Carol/Daryl? (I prefer one, but the other is good, too.) Michonne scarpered off in search of vanished husband, Rick, leaving their children, Judith and RJ in good hands, and into the future of the franchise.

When I got to the end of the season (and will be watching the season premiere as soon as I do the AMC+ thing this weekend) I still needed more. Which led me to the spinoff series, Fear the Walking Dead. When I first tried to connect to that series, I couldn’t quite grasp it. There is also the time I fretted over being too far away to read the English subtitles during a scene in a Mexican church, before remembering that I speak Spanish and could just listen instead of straining my eyeballs.

This time, though, was different. Well, there was the matter of a reboot a few seasons in, trading in the original protagonists for some new arrivals and even some crossovers from the original series This time, I got it. I cried when one of my favorite couples came to the “death do us part” part, annnd un-death, requring the surviving spouse to put down their zombified beloved. That hurt, in the very best way. There’s also a horrible villain, succeeded by their mini-me, who was, somehow, even worse. At the season’s end, there are literally nuclear warheads coming down. How could the apocalypse get even worse? Well, yeah, nuclear warheads would do.

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How does that connect with historical romance? This connection was easy. All that stuff I mentioned above? Put it in historical context. Yesssss. It’s also an essential part of my work on the first round of edits for A Heart Most Errant (finally!) Since the whole concept of this story world is “postapocalyptic medieval,” then it only makes sense to immerse myself in that world.

When I got to the end of the most recent season of FTWD, I searched for other survival dramas. Other shows mean other perspectives,. I binged The Society in pretty much one day, and while I am still salty that season two was cancelled, that doesn’t stop me from figuring out my own end to the story. Not proper fanfic, but maybe fan synopsis. I saw the first two episodes of The Beyond, which has two seasons and a similar premise, but had to take a break because episode three opened with zoo animals, and it’s their wellbeing that pokes my anxiety. Gord, the farmboy, would-be soldier and moral center may get filed away to marinate for character inspiration someday. I’ll talk about other survival shows and inspiration gleaned from them later.

This brings us to the stationery part. Picking the right stationery for a project isn’t wasting time or procrastinating. It’s part of the process, at least for me. Part of that is getting into the groove of the feeling of the piece. Looking through my stash, it’s a symphony of colors and formats and giving the front of my brain something to do while the back burners work their magic and unravel tangled beneath the surface threads.

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For getting the historical romance work things out book ready, it means fountain pens. They feel right. There’s a process of filling fountain pens, getting the ink going, and somewhere in it all, the focus shifts. Don’t ask me to explain it more than that. Not that I can’t do anything without it, but it does make it a heck of a lot easier, and more fun. Also, a local writer friend has a ritual of filling three fountain pens before she coposes longhand. When all three are empty, it’s time to transcribe. I might like to give that a whirl.

What out of the box techniques would you like to try?

recommendations of survival drramas also very much welcome

Can Less Pressure Equal More Art?

Today is off and on rainy, but still muggy. Must be the end of August. Next week, I will be setting up my planners for September, putting summery decor away and sliding into fall, my most productive season. That’s a good thing, because I have plans.

Melva and I will be going through Drama King again, to address oncerns that were raised in our good rejection from our current publisher, and make sure the very best versions of Jack and Kelly are the ones that readers meet. Tha’s going to take more time than we had expected, but such is life.

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If I had my druthers today, I would spend it reclining in front of a fn, bingeing my current Netflix seriess, while I write longhand, throwing messy ideas down on paper and making them pretty later when I can stand to be at the keyboard, preferably at a time when the air is not so humid we have air fish. Apparentlyk I do have a druther or two laying about, because that is exactly what I am going to do. I do also have the task of reading through the first two chapters of Drama King, as we are not letting any grass grow under our feet on this one, Even that works well with paper and pen, and thank God for laptop and their mobility. True, I could read files on my tablet, but eh, laptop is better for the eyeballs.

I can actually do quite a lot of work with paper and pen in front of the TV, even if TV right now means a smaller screen. We have left our TV in storage, and honestly don’t miss it. Streaming can take the place of traditional TV, and it gives me a lot more options, as in shows from all around the world. The current show I am bingeing, is originally in Arabic, dubbed in UK English, and the voice actors are a pretty good match tot he actual actors, so I don’t feel like I am missing anything. Not the survival in the wild type of thing I have been devouring lately, but mean girls in a private school in possibly the UAE? Honestly, does it get any wilder than teenage girls left to their own devices?

I’m still caling this current fixation on survival dramas as research for the second medieval book. Granted, I need ot get the first book’s edits done before I embark on book number two. I know the hero for that one already, but still have s=zero clue as to the hoerine and that’s not usually something that comes this hard for me. Still exploring, and I will find her in time Unless I am wrong about the hero. That would count as overthinking, though, and I am very much not here for that.

Welp, that’s about it for right now, as I have actual fiction writing and editing things to handle, but it feels good to check in on the right day. I like the idea of more art coming from less pressure. How about you?

Typing With Wet Paws: All About That Storm

Tails up, Sorm Troopers! lI’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It’s very cloudy here in NY’s capitol region, which is good weather for Aunt Anna. She was in such a good mood today that she said I couldd write about anything I wanted, so, of course, I am going to talk about me.

photo by https://www.instagram.com/rheubenbowling/

Picture above by Uncle Rheuben. Used because Aunt Anna said so. Also, he said okay.

Anyway, Aunt Anna is in a few cat groups on FB, and sometimes they do fun posts telling people important information about members’ cats. Aunt Anna did one or maybe more of these about me a while babck, but did she save them for the benfit of my fans who are not in those groups? No, she did not. I still love her anyway, so I wiill make my own version. I may not get all the questions or add some of my own, but hey, I’m a cat. That’s what we do.

Legal Name: Storm Bacon Truss O’Malley Hart-Bowling. I was already Storm when Aunt Anna and those guys got me, but I was really young when I got that name, so I don’t remember why. Maybe the super hero? Is Marvel’s Storm a super hero? I bet she is. She has a cool name. Bacon is becaue Aunt Anna promised a friend that she would name her next cat Bacon, after a random cat in her Sims game (game-generated cat) and she did. Truss is my first mom’s last name, and Aunt Anna remind me my first mom loves me very much and did an awesome job raising me. O’Malley is inherited from Big Sister Skye, and because all girl cats in this family are O’Malley from here on out. Hart is because of Aunt Linda, and Bowling because of Aunt Anna and Uncle Rheuben.

My nicknames are: Needles McGee; The Calico Comet. The first one is because my claws are really really sharp (son’t ask how they found out about that, but it was an accident) and the second because I am queen of midnight parkour. Aka I am super fast.

My Age is: Three-ish. The iish is because they thought I was two when they got me, but that didn’t match with my behavior and how I seemed to be getting bigger, so I was probably yunger than that but we are not sure how much. My first mom said I came from “a house with a LOT of cats,” so it’s possible I got mixed up with a different litter.

My Best Friend Is: Aunt Anna! I was understandably wary of my new situation when I first came to these guys, but after a coulple of days of watching from the safety of my adventure cave, I came out, plastered myself to Aunt Anna while she was sleeping and went on from there, We are tight. I am her buddy. I never let her go to the people litterbox alone, I want to be where she is, and do what she’s doing whenever possible. If she is writing longhand or journaling, I am there to help. Sometimes that involces sitting on her pages or stealing her pens, but it’s all part of the deal.

My Best Sleep Spot is: Also Aunt Anna. Specifically on her hip if she is on her side, or her midsection if she is on her back. That is a way to say “I love you” in cat, and also the best way for me to see what she is watching on her tablet screen. Best friends watch TV together, right?

My Favorite Human Food is: People tuna. One of my best treats is for Uncle Rheuben and I to share a can of people tuna (but in separate dishes.) My first mom said I can also have plain people chicken, but prople turkey is no bueno for my tummys, so I don’t get that. I am pretty happy with cat foo, and I know that “not for kitties,” means don’t even think about eating whatever people food it is that I am considering.

My Breed is: Calicoooooo! Okay that is a fur color, not a breed, so I would say American Shorthair, but some people don’t think that’s a breed weither, so IDK, regular cat?

My Favorite Thing to Do is: Hang with Aunt Anna. Don’t care what she’s doing. Cuddles are good, as are belly rubs, and I already talked about watching TV. Oh, and playing with toys. I have OG Mousie (mouse on a string) from my first mom, and I still LOVE him and play with him a lot. I have some store bought toys but mostly I like to find the interesting ones that humans drop on the floor. Pen caps, and hair ties, and that kind of thing. My favorite-favorite toy is Red Dot, but we are waiting to get a new one, so I will definitely let the humans know I want to play with it All The time when it gets here. Seriously. All. The. Time.

Do I Have Siblings?: Well, originally, yes, biologically, but I don’t remember a lot about them. I am an only kitty right now, though I will probably get siblings when we move to a bigger apartmment someday.

Do I snore? No.

Do I Like Car Rides?: I love them! They are the best! Can we go on one now? I better have a Very Good View out the window, though, or I will complain Very Loudly until I do. Not kidding.

Am I an Indoor Cat, Outdoor Cat, or Both?: Indoor, 100%. I tried outdoor once, and it was not that great. I mean, I did get my paw stamped so I can go back, but that was really only to be polite to the possum. He was pretty cool. Seriously, inside is best.

Anything Else?: IDK, you ask me.

Headbonks!