The Kittywalk "cat containment system" is set up and connected--sort of--to the pet door so there aren't any huge gaps for the cats to wiggle through. This config consists of two T-connects, a deck-and-patio section, a clubhouse and a cabana.

So far Isis likes it more than Koosh does (she still runs to the front door whenever I say, "Do you want to go outside?"), but I think that once I spend more time
actually sitting on the patio myself, instead of just shoving junk around, that they'll spend more time hanging out in it. Here is Isis grazing on cat grass like a cow.

I made a lot of progress on my patio and living room this weekend, filling up a few bins' worth of trash and a couple of bags for Goodwill. This morning I went to pick up the bins and cart them out to the car when I noticed a couple of brown things on the floor by the door that I assumed were leaves or bits of cardboard until it dawned on me that they were frog shaped. Apparently they crawled in under the front door. As I was trying to rescue them with a tupperware container and a piece of junk mail, Koosh decided to make a break for it out the front door, but she only went about 10 steps before realizing this Outside is quite different from the Outside she expected and she turned tail and shot back inside.

New at Big Lots: Trivial Pursuit® branded Pop Tarts.

My computer at home is still a mess, but I can at least check email if I boot up in safe mode. Still unpacking, but the apartment is getting much better; it's possible to walk around without stepping over any boxes now, and I've labeled all the remaining boxes so I don't have to tear everything apart frantically looking for stuff. The problem now is that I've maxed out my storage space, both at home and at the storage unit, so I have to figure out how to arrange everything so it fits. Luckily I'm good at spatial reasoning puzzles.

Hell's Kitchen thankfully turned out the way it should have, with both Rock and Julia as winners (although Julia certainly didn't act much like a winner at the end). Kudos to Bravo for embracing the feud between Rocco and Tony Bourdain instead of pretending it doesn't exist, like most media companies would have.

Current reading: Creation Spirituality by Matthew Fox, The United States of Arugula by David Kamp, and The Coffeehouse Investor by Bill Schultheis.

I finally got to watch last Monday's Hell's Kitchen yesterday, and I'm really pissed off that Bonnie was chosen to stay over Jen. While Jen is probably not ready to run a kitchen on her own, Bonnie is a spoiled little brat who I seriously doubt could supervise a Burger King.

There's an interesting little blog fight going on over at Bravo's Top Chef site between Tony Bourdain and Rocco Dispirito. Rocco actually takes the edge in this one.

In a little burst of stress relieving compulsive shopping I've bought a bunch of games for my Nintendo DS: Puzzle Quest, Chocobo Tales, Trauma Center and an old Harvest Moon game. I also picked up Cooking Mama for the Wii (we're handling the mobile version, so it's research) and Exit for PSP (also research). I'm playing Puzzle Quest, and while I like the Bejeweled style of puzzle combat, it's getting a little repetitive and boring.

What happened to Top Chef? I tuned in last night for the latest episode and all they showed was some kind of weird extended infomercial for Bertolli frozen dinners featuring Rocco DiSpirito 2.0. So the Big Bertolli Secret is that they--get this--freeze the individual ingredients separately. Wait, I'm not entirely sure I got that. Could you repeat it one more time? And then once more with feeling? As much as they'd like you to think this is groundbreaking stuff, normal people have been doing it for years.

It also appears the denoument where Joey stumbles tearily into the kitchen to say goodbye was recreated because surely that's Howie sitting in the folding chair by the door? Wasn't he just standing there at Judges' Table when Joey was told to pack his knives? Are there TWO Howies? God help us.

I managed to empty two boxes last night and can now actually walk right up to my kitchen sink. The pile of boxes in the corner of the dining area resembles the Matterhorn. Koosh likes to climb up and sit on the top, but I can't get her to wear little kneesocks and lederhosen.

Isis, always the problem solver, is adjusting to not having a shower door track from which to drink in the morning. By the way, my shower curtain is not studded with rhinestones; those are water droplets.

Today is Lùnastal, which seems appropriate given that it's in honor of a woman who died of exhaustion from clearing stuff away. I wrapped up five solid days of moving yesterday and I didn't know it was possible to be this tired. My hands are so swollen from carrying boxes and furniture that I can barely bend my fingers, and my legs are so sore and swollen my ankle bones have disappeared. I'm covered in bruises. Next time I need to move, I'll just go stand in the middle of the freeway in front of a truck and be done with it. My apartment is so full of stuff it's hard to get in the door.

On the plus side, my new cable box has DVR capability so I can just watch what I want.