It's the damnedest thing.

Since starting ADHD medication, I've found that I need just a tiny dose of caffeine in the morning, mostly to ward off withdrawal headaches. Before diagnosis, I needed the caffeine from seven or eight cans of soda every day to stay awake, and my body was paying the price in terms of chronic muscle tension, a pounding, racing heartbeat, and high blood pressure. I feel a lot better now.

I do still miss old favorites like RC Cola (the classic Southern soft drink). Can't drink more than half a can, though—my muscles will be frozen up all day, and my heart will race faster than Sunday NASCAR.

By special request: Mooakura

Mooakura is as ornery and contrary as ever, even at breakfast.

Chicken Monday: 9/28/09

It's a morning like any other in the backyard of the Happy Kitten Cottage. The chickens are scratching and pecking contentedly in their pen...

Well...maybe. I bet they're wondering what's atop the fence post.


Umm, Emmylou? What are you doing up there, kitteh?



Completely clueless.

Actually, Emmy had just sauntered out of the chicken coop as if she did it every day, and that caused a flurry of squawking and clucking and confused waddling across the pen grounds. I don't know why the chickens get so upset about Emmylou and Waylon hanging around in their coop—I mean, they're five times those kitties' size.

Left to right: Leroy, Henrietta, Big Chicken #1, and Pearl. I'm near the fence, so they think I have dry cat food (which I did). They also want to peck Lucky.

Leroy is seriously thinking about pulling a Myrtle Mae on Lucky's furry brown head.

Cute hen, cute dog: Henrietta tolerates Lucky as long as he keeps his nose on his side of the fence. Otherwise, all bets are off.

Treasures from my daily walk

Clockwise from right: fragment of an old dish, with a portion of the manufacturer's stamp; vaguely arrowhead-like white quartz; a penny, found heads-up; and a small hawk feather.

Friday Kittehs, featuring Waylon

Just a sweet ol' cat
Never meanin' no harm
Beats all you ever saw
Had them big ol' kitty balls
Since the day he was born

Waylon—yes, named for Waylon Jennings—is one of Ernge's kittens from last summer, and he's a sweet kitty now. He's also in serious need of neutering, and will be going to Dr. Sam's clinic next week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PIXIE AND GUY!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Happy birthday to the best goddamn sister and brother-in-law in the whole universe!

That's MY kind of weather forecast!

see more Lol Celebs

And you know what? I'm starting to think this approach works. The weird "intense-ness" of my personality—thank you, ADD!—used to be a problem, but now that I understand it, perhaps I can get it to work in the classroom, and in my favor.

More details soon. It's an insane week here at Division II University, and I promise you a full update when the dust settles.

KittehWatch, nearly 18 months later...

Remember Stripeakura, who had that huge litter of kittens that I featured so often here on E&P? Stripe's now a spayed, sweet, and happy former mama cat, and will still let me snuggle her now and then. Happy ending, indeed!

And for anyone who was wondering: Small Town has seen only a few creeks overflow their banks, so in case you were worried about whether we were inundated like some parts of Atlanta have been in the last week or so, no worries—there's no flooding here, thank heavens.

Chicken Monday: 9/21/09

The chickens enjoy some Corn Flakes now and then. The "lightsaber" between Big Chicken #2 and Leroy is a piece of aluminum pipe propping open the coop door.

I didn't want to tell him why we were at the vet's office.

Fixed, Mama? But I'm not broken...

This is Wide Lawns' kitteh.

Wide Lawns, your kitteh is on the HKC front porch. She says for me to tell you: "Chick-fil-A sandwich."

Florence Nightingale vs. Nurse Ratched

This semester, Division II University is trying out the concept of First-Year Learning Communities (FYLC), where first-year students of similar interests or majors are grouped together in three linked core courses. For example, students who major in education might have the same English, history, and Intro to Education classes together, with the three courses' professors all weaving the theme of teaching through their syllabi.

While there were some rough patches at the beginning of the semester, so far the experiment seems to be going well. I have two FYLC sections of English 1101, and one is comprised of first-year students who declared Pre-Nursing as their major. Fourteen women and one man make up this interesting group—I call it "interesting" because I never know what they'll do or say from one class to the next.

Funny thing is, I'm not sure these folks realize what it's going to take for them to become nurses—and I mean excellent nurses, not just average, run-of-the-mill nurses. They don't understand how they will have to be compassionate, non-judgmental, and focused as they practice nursing; there are a lot of giggles and "eeeuuwwws" when they're presented with ideas that don't match what they've always believed.

But you know me. I live to poke at people's tender, long-held beliefs, much as I might poke at a painful abscess to see how much longer I have before it finally bursts and lets the healing begin. I live to shake up other people's way of thinking (my own, too!) and make them see the world in a whole new light. If we're not going to challenge what we've always held dear—if we're not willing to think critically and radically—then what are we doing with our lives? Just taking up space? That's no way to waste a life.

While I'm not in the medical field, I imagine that it's a tremendous honor to be with and care for our fellow human beings in their deepest physical and emotional pain, to be present for them as they make their journeys into and out of this life. What could be more sacred than that?

So in an effort to really focus my teaching, as well as my students' thinking and writing, I'd like to hear your stories about your BEST and WORST experiences with nurses. And I'd like to hear from as many E&P readers as possible. I plan to share these experiences with my students in a presentation that will hopefully get the conversation going about the important characteristics an excellent nurse should embody.

Please tell me, in as much detail as you can, exactly what was wonderful or rotten about the experiences, including the words that were said. (If you can't remember exactly, an approximation of the dialogue will be fine.) Please also tell about the health problems for which you were in the doctor's office/hospital, your age during these experiences, and what name you'd like for me to call you in the presentation.

There are two ways to share your stories: either below, in the Comments section, or via e-mail at misskitty_ep AT bellsouth.net.

Thanks, E&P readers—I look forward to hearing from you. I'll certainly keep you posted on how the class is going.

How NOT to Use PowerPoint

Would that everyone who gives presentations, from students to faculty to university admin to business professionals, could see this video.

And for good measure, they should also read Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds.

Chicken Monday: 9/14/09

The chickens enjoy an early-morning snack of dry cat food. Oh, and that's Lucky's back half exiting the picture.

How much is that doggie in the antiques shop?

Mom and I stopped by a local antiques shop last weekend to browse the owner's incredible array of ladies' hats from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. Sweet little Anna Mae (pictured) greeted us at the door with mini-Dachshund barks and kisses. Adorable!

And, of course, the shop owner informed me that no, Anna Mae was neither an antique (at three years old) nor for sale. [deep sigh]

Her look says it all

This picture looks peaceful—until you see Prue's disdainful expression.

There was much hissing, spitting, and growling between Prue and Smokey right before I took this photo. So much for a peaceful Saturday morning at the Happy Kitten Cottage.

OMGWTFBBQIHAVE12MOREWEEKSOFTHIS?!?

Week 4 of Fall Semester is wrapping up, and reality has set in for my students and for me: there are three more months of this semester, and we all have so. much. crap. to do before it's all over.

I just have the lazies today—next week will probably be just fine. But isn't it a shame to have to spend all day indoors when the weather outside is so pleasant? Fall is slowly creeping up on Small Town, and mornings are so crisp and cool. Even the afternoons have been pretty pleasant lately around here.

How is your semester going so far? What's the weather like where you are today? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section.

Morning beauty

The Volkswagen Beetle-sized gardenia bushes at Division II University have put on another fragrant show to herald the end of Summer.

MOAR kittehs for your Labor Day Weekend!

A typical Sunday morning at the Happy Kitten Cottage: bellies are full, and now it's time for baths and naps.

From foreground, to back: Stripeakura (walking down steps); Clark; Melody (calico turned over on her back); Davy, aka Shithook (blue tabby-Siamese mix, walking past Melody); and Mooakura (black-and-white "moo" kitteh).

Smokey on the front porch

Yes, my Smokey is a sweet kitty. I'm thankful that I was able to adopt him.

A lot of you are probably out of town for the Labor Day holiday weekend—hope your trips are safe, fun, and relaxing.

Friday Kitteh!

The legendary Prue makes her brief daily return to the Happy Kitten Cottage! Naturally, she's as feisty and no-nonsense as always.

A kitteh break for your Thursday

I'm in the midst of teaching and getting a couple big projects done before the Labor Day Weekend gets here, so that's why there's been a dearth of posts on E&P this week. However, to give you a giggle, here's a re-run of what feeding time is like at my house every morning and evening.

Small world, Small Town

Last evening, I dropped by the jewelry store in Small Town Mall to get a new battery for my watch. The salesman said that it would take about 15 minutes to replace the battery, so I browsed around the mall's small (20 stores) selection of shops for a while, and then returned to the jewelry store. Happily, my watch was ready and working again.

The salesman filled out the paperwork for the lifetime guarantee on the battery (they'll replace it for free when it goes dead, as long as I own the watch), and asked me for my name and address.

"Kitty B. Goode, that's G-O-O-D-E, 123 Cottage Street, Small Town."

The salesman's eyes opened wide. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head. "No, I live on Cottage Street." I expected he would say something about how the HKC's neighborhood isn't what it used to be, or something like that.

"I grew up in the house at 123 Cottage Street!" he exclaimed.

My jaw dropped. "No way!" As we talked, the salesman told me of how the neighborhood was when he was a kid 50-something years ago, and how his parents added the large kitchen in the back, the slate patio, and the fireplace over the years. I told him how Mom and Steve have made changes here and there over the years, and that both the house and Cottage Street were still great places to be. Some of the people who lived there all those years ago are still there, and he was amazed to hear that Mrs. Allman still lives four doors down from what is now the Happy Kitten Cottage.

As I got ready to leave, I thanked the man for his help. Walking out the door, I heard him call to me, "Take care of the house, now!"

"You bet!" I called back. "She's in good hands, don't worry!"