How to Dry a Cat

Kitty, Anyone?

Today, we rescued a sweet little kitty; we've been trying to catch her for over a month, and we were finally successful today.  We can't keep her, and we're looking for a good home in Cincinnati.  She is an absolute sweetheart, and I know she'll warm up to a loving person or family.

We cleaned her up today, scrubbing her really well with Dawn (recommended at Petsmart to kill fleas, since she is a stray).  We have her scheduled for a vet appointment on Friday and to be spayed on Tuesday.  She'll get all of her necessary shots at the vet appointment, too, so she'll be ready to go home with someone next week.

Here she is before her bath.  The poor thing was terrified.

Understandably, baths aren't her favorite.

I'm pretty sure she's thinking, "Hmmm...I could get used to this."

Still wet, but feelin' good.

Just a little smushkins, looking for a home.

If you're interested in adopting this little bundle of love, please e-mail me at writer@freelancexpat.com.

Keeping It in Perspective

Things that went wrong in the last week or so:

1. My husband ran our car over a concrete slab (on accident, of course); this cost around $400.00 of unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.
2. I got a speeding ticket, along with a ticket for not being registered (it's a long story; we're trying to renew our registration in Idaho, but we're having trouble getting it done).
3. My husband's computer died.  When he called to find out about fixing it, he was told that it costs $200.00 per hour to have it looked at/fixed.  I mean, c'mon...is this for real?
4. I called about the speeding ticket, after realizing that it is due today.  Apparently, in Reading, Ohio, if you don't pay the ticket in full by the date stipulated, a warrant is put out for your arrest.  So, I had to walk to the post office and send the check for $130.00.

Things that went right in the last week or so:

1. I signed a book contract.

Yeah, I think this about evens things out. :)

Of course, there are many other things that are always going right in my life: a great little family (my husband and cat), a thriving career, great friendships, a roof over my head, etc.  But, for now, I think the contract will get me through the next 30 things that go wrong.

Feral Cat Shelters: Save a Cat Today

The top of one of the feral cat shelters from Ohio Alleycat Resource.

Ever since moving into our apartment in July, my husband and I have found the stray cat problem in our part of Cincinnati troubling.  When we first arrived, there were several baby kittens (which we tried, unsuccessfully, to catch), and it seemed that each day we'd see a new cat.

We knew that we couldn't adopt them, as our apartment only allows for one cat, but we didn't know what to do to help them.  Taking them to the pound was out, because we all know what happens when feral cats go to the pound, and the no kill shelters are always full.  Plus, a cat living the rest of its life inside a cage (because no one would want it) doesn't seem fair.

As soon as the cold weather started rolling in, I knew we had to do something.  Our meager income right now (thanks to graduate school) doesn't allow us to buy or build a nice shelter for them, but there's no way the poor cats could survive the freezing temperatures.  

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, my husband called up the stairs to me, "Look out at our deck."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just look.  Look at the poor cat."

Outside, on this freezing cold Ohio morning, was a cat sleeping on a pile of leaves on our deck.  The poor thing looked so cold and lonely, and my heart broke looking at it.  Then, I noticed another cat lying on a tall table, which stood in the other corner of our deck.  As I looked at the cats, I felt terrible, yet helpless.  What could I do?

Thankfully, just a few minutes later, a dear friend of mine posted about feral cat shelters (thanks, Em!).  So, I called several shelters, and I finally found a place that provides them for free.  Not only that, but they provide a $10.00 spay/neuter and tetanus shot for any trapped feral cats, and they'll rent traps for free (a $50.00 deposit is required, but it is returned when the trap is).  They rely on grants and donations, so be sure to give whatever you can to help them help more cats.  You can always donate the materials, too, in place of the shelters you take.

The shelter is called Ohio Alleycat Resource, and it's located at 5619 Orlando in Cincinnati; their contact info is 513-871-7297 or info@theanimalrescue.com.

Below are some photos of the shelters they provide.  All shelters are made by volunteers from donated styrofoam coolers and other materials.

This is one of the shelters, which we placed in the corner of the deck, near the leaves the kitty was sleeping on top of this morning.  Notice that the lid of the styrofoam cooler is glued on, and it seems to be covered in some sort of paint, which I assume is water resistant.

The styrofoam is lined with aluminum to keep the cats warm, a bed is made out of hay, and a hole is cut for the entrance (see above).  I'm guessing the size and height of the entrance helps keep other wild animals, such as possums and raccoons, from entering the shelters.

We placed the other shelter near the table the other cat was sleeping on this morning.

The cat didn't end up going into the shelter, but she was thinking about it!  Let's hope she uses it tonight.

Can't get enough of the strays?  Read the "Ode to Feral Cats Everywhere," and learn why I'm so in love with stray cats.

Ohio Parents Brave Below Freezing Temperatures

Last Sunday, November 5th, my friend Steph and I did a short loop in Clifton, which is a small, hilly, lovely little area in Cincinnati.  I had chosen the route, and we had plans to get coffee afterward.  As we made our way over the last short hill, we saw several people at the German Language school, sitting in lawn chairs in the grassy area next to the parking area.

As we rounded the corner to make our slow descent down Clifton Avenue, Steph and I had to dodge people on the sidewalks, all supposedly making their way out of a church service.  Most were dressed in long, colored robes, and I glanced at the church and realized it was a mosque.

This was a little bizarre: several people camped out in front of a school, hoards of people on the sidewalk.  It was a quiet Sunday morning until that moment.

A couple of days later, Steph found out that the parents we'd seen, and probably some of the supposed church-goers, were actually getting in line to enroll their kids in school.

Now, these are publicly funded schools.  These aren't private schools, and they're not selective in nature. It's just that while Idaho has a lottery system, Ohio enrollment is a first-come-first-serve sort of system.

Which leads me to wonder: what about the lower income parents, the ones who can't get off work and camp out for 10 plus days in freezing weather to get their kids enrolled at these schools?  What about the single moms and dads, who have no one to watch their children?  What about them?

I do commend the parents who are camping for their kids.  It shows true dedication to a child's education.  But, really, Ohio Department of Education?  Isn't it time for a change in enrollment?

Today, as I did a very hilly, 5.25 mile run past the German Language School, I saw dozens of tents in the lawn of the school.  There was a cookout, and there were cars continually entering the parking lot.  More parents, more tents, more days ahead of them.

Last week, temperatures got down to 28 degrees...and enrollment doesn't happen for four more days.  Brrrr.

I'm curious about other people's thoughts about this.  Being from the West, this seems a little absurd, but I guess it's hard to understand all of the decisions that go into structuring education this way.

Is it like this in other cities?  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  I'm curious to hear opinions.

Some Thoughts About Travel

The People's Committee Building, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during Tet holiday

It's official: it's been too long since I've traveled.

I do realize that I flew to Boise a little over a week ago, but that doesn't really count, now does it?  I'm talking real travel.  The what-is-this-stuff-I'm-eating, talking-with-hand-guestures, everything-is-totally-new-and-different sort of travel.

For all the whining I do about wanting to be back in Boise, I really do miss being abroad.  I miss the strangeness of it, the empowerment I feel when accomplishing little things (like taking a taxi by myself for the first time in a new country), the ever-present "otherness" that permeates everything I do.  I miss sitting at a table in Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City, eating yellow noodles, and looking around and realizing how wonderful and full life is.  I miss Sunday mornings: leaving late to get to church at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a lunch of eggs, rice, and baguettes afterwards, ordering coffee at Western coffeeshops.  I even miss Ben Thanh: its stinky fish smell, the hands grabbing at my elbows, the particularly good bootleg DVD stands, the smiles that quickly fade when you decide not to buy.

I even miss the Dominican Republic sometimes: my students, who became like siblings to me; twice monthly trips to amazing beaches; egg sandwiches (sin mayonesa), fresh mango smoothies (sin azúcar), and tostones at that little restaurant in the Zona Colonial; trying not to fall asleep during mass, with the echoey, Spanish words lulling me in the hot, old buildings; cobblestone streets that elicited that feeling of real traveling.

But what does this mean, exactly?  Will this nostalgia lead to more travels, new locales, another home abroad?

For now, we are in Ohio.  But in two years, who knows?  And even if we don't move back abroad, I plan to explore every inch of this world of ours.

NaBloPoMo: Why Writers Should Run

To the many writers who do not find inspiration in running, I ask you:

When else can you be so totally and completely disconnected from the mundane of the day-to-day?  When else can you leave behind your cell phone and computer, the compulsion to check e-mails and social networking sites, and the need to make small talk?  When else is it totally acceptable to ignore everyone and everything around you (except cars, of course)?

About three years, ago, I wrote a short creative nonfiction piece entitled, "On Running (and Running On)".  The piece was about how running got me through a very trying time and the integral role running has played in my life.  An excerpt from that piece does a pretty good job of describing how running affects me:

I run up and down the inclines and declines and hop over puddles and feel the ache in my knee.  I breathe hard and keep pace.  I feel the cracks in the greenbelt and the branches that need trimmed off of the path.  I feel sweat and thirst and fatigue.  I feel the foot to shin to thigh connection with concrete, hard and lovely against my tennis shoes. ... 

People understand the nature of the runner.  A runner needs to keep running.  A runner needs to maintain her center.

I feel the same way about writing: it helps me keep centered.  But I know that a lot of my writing inspiration occurs during long runs.  

Of course, like writing, running takes practice.  It takes a good deal of stick-to-it-iveness.  But it will give back so much more than you put into it. 

Writers, I challenge you: try running or some other form of aerobic activity.  See how it affects your creative abilities, how it positively impacts your life.  Or, find a better way to be totally focused, utterly creative, and wholly connected. And if you find a better way, let me know -- I'd like to try it out.

{Sidenote: This blog was written immediately after a nice, long run.  Surprise, surprise.}

NaPloBoMo: Ohio Isn't So Bad

Frisbee Golf Course at Mt. Airy in Cincinnati, Ohio

I know it's early in NaBloPoMo, but I'm kind of giving up on the site's prompts.  Today's is: Can you listen to music and write?  What song did you hear today?

Instead, I'd like to talk about Ohio.

On my flights to and from Boise last week, each seat mate initiated the typical conversation:

"So, where're you headed?"
"Boise."
"The blue field, huh?  Is that where you're from?"
"I'm from there, but I live in Cincinnati."
"Oh, that's nice.  Cincinnati is a nice place."
"Eh.  It's okay."
"Just okay?"
"Yeah, just okay.  You know, it's no Boise."

At this point in the conversation, the person sitting next to me usually paused, thinking quietly.  I could almost see the thoughts floating around, reasons why Ohio, Cincinnati in particular, is a very nice place to live.  And, sure enough, everyone did their best to convince me of its livability and general goodness.

No one could really understand my blasé attitude toward the Midwest and Ohio.  I mean, it's fine.  Livable, even.  Maybe even a little pleasant.

But it's no Boise, Ho Chi Minh City, or Bangkok.  And yes, I did just compare Boise to two Southeast Asian cities.

Here's the deal: Ohio isn't so bad.  Or at least my little sliver of Ohio isn't.

A few examples: 

• Last weekend, my husband and I had a very enjoyable frisbee golf game in a national park.  This park is actually a beautiful, hilly, wooded area, and it's just 15 minutes our apartment.
• Day before yesterday, I had a nice five-mile run up and down steep hills, part of which was along a beautiful tree-covered road.  
• Midwesterners are generally nice people, and they are very welcoming to outsiders.
• I have yet to see or hear about someone seeing a dead body.

Okay, so the last one is a little bit of a stretch, but my main point is that Cincinnati is relatively safe.  It's not Boise safe, but it's definitely a lot safer than some of the places I've lived.

Seeing as I have to live here for another two or so years, I'm going to try to keep growing this list.  I'm going to try to stop thinking about all of the fabulous places my husband and I could be living and really try to appreciate the place we're living now.

Ohio isn't so bad...and perhaps I'll eventually even think it's a nice place to live.

Re-entering the World of Academia

Today, it begins: the first day of the next two years.  At 4:00 eastern time, I start my master's in professional writing and editing.

Two years ago, I was making the decision to wait on graduate school.  In fact, two years ago today, I was one and a half months into my position at the Ashton School of Santo Domingo.  I had five classes of Dominican children who disliked me (they came around eventually, but it took them awhile), and I was just starting to explore the country.

One year ago, I was leaving the Dominican Republic, returning to Boise for a few weeks, and then headed off to Vietnam.  And it was six months ago that my husband and I left Vietnam and returned to the States, leaving a region we fell in love with...but jobs we did not.

In a way, graduate school feels like a temporary stasis of travel.  That's fine--expected, even.  But I will miss that part of my life, and I will certainly miss the weekend trips, adventures, and even the danger.

So, today, I re-enter the world of academia.  But this time, it's on my terms: the program is exactly what I need and want to further my goals and career, and I think that the next two years will be rather pleasant, if not a little ordinary.

Here's to the next two years!

Night Spot Review: Cock & Bull English Pub, Cincinnati

Image courtesy of: http://cincinnati.metromix.com/

Last night, Doug and I went to the Cock & Bull English Pub. I, personally, think the name is a bit unappetizing, but it seemed a good place to get a beer and do some people watching. This restaurant by day/eve turns into a happening spot as the twenty-and-thirty-somethings make their way to the yuppy's paradise that is the Hyde Park area.

We arrived around 10:30 p.m. and settled into an outdoor patio table. Doug ordered a Dog Fish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, and I ordered a Franziskaner Hefe, with an orange (of course). We also ordered some delish pub chips--you know, the super thick kind that are like a french fry and chip in one? Yum.

The scene was pretty mild mannered at first, with a few older couples sitting nearby. However, around 11:30, things started to liven up, with the perpetually single (professionally single, as Doug called it) and newly divorced on the prowl. The drunker people got, the louder it got, as is usually usually the case. Nonetheless, it was a fun place to have a beer and enjoy Hyde Park Square.

So, here's my review of Cock and Bull. I've rated each on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest. Cost is rated from $ to $$$:

Beer: 6.5
Appetizers: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Price: $$
Likelihood of returning: 7