What's taters, precious?

I like potatoes.  I think everyone likes potatoes.  I'm Irish.  I can't even help liking potatoes, they're in my blood.  Couldn't stop myself if I tried.

Fried taters, French Fried taters, baked taters, mashed taters, whipped taters, tater salad, tater tots.  Yeah, you can't go wrong.

Until you meet the potato tendrils.

Maybe you're aware, maybe you're oblivious.  Either way, potato tendrils are creepy.

When you have potatoes for a while, sometimes they start to...bud; grow eyes.  They start out as little...white...specks, dots, maybe nipples.  And they keep growing...and growing.  From nipple into eye, from eye into nose, from nose into arm, from arm into tendril.  Yes, this is the evolution of the potato.

If you procrastinate too long after it reaches the tendril phase, you may find yourself at a loss for life.

But you can combat them before this happens.

Remove the tendrils.  Rip them off.  Cut them off.  Dig them out.  Get rid of the potato eyes and nipples, too.  Let them know you're onto their scheme and you're not backing down.

Then cook them.  And eat them.

Establish tater dominance.

Pizza is powerful

Everyone loves pizza.  It's America's favorite food.

• Kids dig it
• Adults dig it
• Old people dig it
• Pets dig it
• Has all your basic food groups
• It's portable
• It's amazing

In summation, pizza is amazing.

This is relevant, I assure you.

Being that pizza is amazing and able to be enjoyed by...everyone.  It's great for a family.  It's a meal and so much more.  It's fun, it's love, it's life.  So deep.

But yeah, it can totally bring people together.  Everyone sitting around just munching pizza.  Animals and humans alike.  It's a great focal point for a gathering, large or small.

The great equalizer.

Pizza.

Cleaning glasses...

I'm a nerd. And I'm near-sighted. These usually go hand-in-hand in some fairy tale scenario. But it works irl, too.

Being such, I have to clean my glasses occasionally...you might not think so initially, but it takes a lot of experimentation. A lot of time. A lot of effort. A lot of trial and error.

Shirts, pants, towels, blankets, rugs, carpets, hair, you name it, I tried it. Much to my dismay, trying it didn't equate to me liking it and it being efficient.

So I've made my way to paper towels...they used to bother me at some point. Not just because they're something you spend money on to promptly throw away, but because I have some vague recollection of them leaving smears on my glasses. Maybe it's a new brand, or a new quality, but it seems they work perfectly for this scenario.

Yeah, I clean my glasses with paper towels. Alright.

Damn dog

Dog uses basement for business. This is fine, normal, etc. When she goes to the closed door, we open it for her.

Sometimes...she walks in, walks out. Walks in, walks out. Sniffs the room and door, leaves. We close door, and she goes back up to door, wanted to be let down.

Last night, cats were sleeping on the steps leading downstairs. I imagine the dog wanted to go down. Rather than skirting by the sides of the cats, she'd hover at the top of the steps and cry and become agitated. Then walk around, walk back, and repeat the process.

I would call her down the steps, and instead she'd run away and pee on herself. Not the most desirable outcome...

She managed parts of this cycle pretty solidly for about four hours, until about 5 a.m. I dunno if she ever managed to get down the steps, but I did fall asleep around 5.

Damn cat

Whatwith letting the cats out a bit to test their behavior, it was going well until this evening.

Cat 2 made a mess. I'd call it an accident, but I'm pretty sure it was intentional. She spent some time just...walking around and looking at stuff. "How odd", I thought. So I kept an eye on her occasionally, while going about my business. Lo and behold, some microseconds later, I hear her characteristic "I'm done" scratching of whatever surface she marked as hers.

Next to the radiator and in the corner? Better than the table...or the counter...or the middle of the floor...or on a case of soda. But still not great, sorry. Back in lockdown.

Dutifully clean up with some paper towels and Clorox, continue going about business.

It's annoying, and weird at the same time. She's used the litter box great for years...

Silly cats

Cats 2 and 3 were naughty for some time.  Rather than using the litter box all proper-like, they'd pee on...counters, and floors, and tables...in the kitchen.  Sorry cats, but that just isn't cool.

So we had to keep them on lockdown in the vicinity of the litter box.  All amenities provided, ofc.

Shortly after this, Cat 1 started paying them visits, not just to also use the litter box, but just...to hang out with them it seems.  And she'd refuse to romp and rollick like her typical self.

Now that Cats 2 and 3 are being tested in access to general population, Cat 1 refuses to partake.  Cat 2 explores warily, Cat 3 is uninterested in bothering with the attempt.  Cat 1...keeps the place locked down.  She's taken to guarding doors and territory.

Hey man, if it works for you...but she keeps biting my knees.  So not cool.

Silly Pets II

Dog enjoys treats.  So we give her treats occasionally.  When the mood strikes her, she prefers not to eat them, no, but pick them up and hastily toss them around.  I believe she plays fetch with herself.

This is fine, except sometimes she loses the treats to the mysteries of space and time.  Sorry, Dog, I think that treat's been lost for good.

Keep it down, kids

I love my family, really I do.

But they don't always need to function as my alarm clock...maybe sometimes would be nice, but not...all the time.

Especially in a rude, loud, unintentional way...

I like the summer season more or less, sans the overbearing heat and whatnot...but it also lets kids be home more.  Bonding is nice, but not always.  Not when I'm trying to sleep.

Nothing personal, kids, but please try to keep it down a little bit until everyone is awake and willing to deal with your loudness.

Pets love you unconditionally

They provide solace for the lonely soul.  They don't judge you and they're almost always willing to provide support, or sympathy, or comfort.  They're indisposable.

Family is just as equally indisposable, but they're...human.  They have lives, they become busy, and agitated.  They love you, but they get caught up in their own devices.  It's nothing to detract from their value, it's just a fact of life.

Pets aren't too busy for you, and they don't mind keeping you company.

Being unemployed is rough

Family is understanding.  But at the same time it has needs.

Not having a steady job is a hardship for anyone.  It builds anxiety, stress, difficulties.  It makes the relationship to family somewhat strained.  Not always, they're understanding, but sometimes.  Money isn't everything, but it helps sometimes.

You can search for odd jobs, steady jobs, but you don't want to lock yourself in...some deadend spot.  It takes its toll on you, on your soul.  But you do what you can.  Being unemployed is a job in itself.  Homemaking is a job in itself.  And it's hard for people to understand the challenge of running a household sufficiently, and keeping it together.  But being unemployed is being unemployed.  You've earned the stigma.  Until you're not unemployed, you're a pariah.  Times are tough but you're supposed to "pull yourself up by the bootstraps".  What a horribly misleading phrase.  It's nowhere near that easy.

But family is supportive.

Pets are silly

It's hard to think of pets as animals.  They become a part of the family, tiny humans.  And you love them and accept them.  Like human family members.

But they're prone to their own silly little habits, too.  Maybe not to the same degree humans are, but they have weird habits. 

• Cat 1 likes small spaces and corners, and begins eating whenever you pet her.  
• Cat 2 sits up in a humanesque position. 
• Cat 3 is shy.  Oh so shy.
• Dog is somewhat neurotic.  Likes to sniff hands before being pet, likes to watch doors and sit on steps waiting for people, likes to sniff cats in a very invasive manner.

Such is life.  So it goes.  They are tiny people.  Given to odd isms as efficiently as humans do.

No one's perfect

Family life isn't always simple.  It rarely is for that fact.  But part of the clash of family life is what makes it so valuable. 

Family is a cohesive unit.  It offers support when you need it, but also needs support, and needs you to offer it.  It requires work and dedication to thrive, and can wither if you fail to nurse it.

It all pays off in the end.  Like many good things that require that extra bit of effort, that extra bit of dedication, that extra bit of tolerance.  It all pays off in the end.