Queen and Latifa

I found this amusing item in a £ shop yesterday:

I love £ shops - the nutty stuff that one can get for a £ is just wonderful. I am currently wearing a pair of bright orange polka dot socks that I acquired (in a two pack with a pair of red polka dot ones) in a £ shop. They're fabulous. And by fabulous, I mean ridiculous and silly, obviously. Anyway, I digress...

So there it is, a ridiculously camp festive collar. The idea of dressing 'Tifa in said campery fills me with mirth, but I don't know if I've got the guts to attempt to put her in such a thing! I sincerely doubt that the diva kitty will appreciate being put is such a silly, jingley jangley thing, but it would be delightfully funny to see her in it! 

In all seriousness, if I do put 'Tifa in the silly festive collar, I won't let her out of my sight and I won't keep it on her for very long. I have never put her in a collar before because, as a house cat, she doesn't need one. You may have heard the horror stories of poor kitties whose ignorant owners put them in buckle collars and the poor cat ends up with hideous injuries or accidentally hanging themselves. These are very real occurances. Part of my work as an RSPCA Home Visitor is advising people on the hazards of buckle collars and educating them on the usage of quick release safety collars. For advice on collars, please go here.

Have fun,

M x

I did it again...

After making the decision not to decorate my flat for Christmas this year (and causing something of a controversy on Facebook by letting people know this - I should have known better), I saw this. It's a Hello Kitty item involving chocolate: what's not to like?! A world without hypocrisy would be a boring place...

At this juncture, I'd like to point out that the only time I've ever actually decorated my flat was when I was badgered into it by an ex-boyfriend. Obviously, I don't have that particular pressure this December, so no decs in Chez Q&L this year. Except the advent calendar, obviously. Did I mention it has chocolate?

Now I have this advent calendar, I regularly find myself saying 'Hello Kitty' and pointing to the calendar followed by 'Hello Kitty' and waving at the cat. Quite deservedly, 'Tifa treats me with disdain when I do this...

Have fun,

M x

Seasons’ Greetings to all my friends and blog readers!

As I established on my previous blog (remember, it isn’t family friendly like Q&L), I’m not sending out paper greeting cards for a couple of significant reasons (beyond the fact that I would find writing out cards phenomenally dull!). Without wishing to sound like too much of a save the planet recycling loon, it is clearly better for the environment to send an electronic card rather than chopping down trees to say what can be said on my blog. Beyond this, as always, the money I save by not paying for paper cards is given to a charity. This year, unsurprisingly, I have decided to give a donation to the RSPCA Manchester and Salford branch. So you may not have a pointless card from me that you’ll throw away in January, but you did get goodwill vibes and the satisfaction that some money went to a good cause instead!

Another thing that using this medium allows me is the opportunity to do something silly and ‘internety’. Please do click play on the video below if you fancy a chuckle at silliness, courtesy of Q&L.

So all that is left for me to say is that I hope that you have a relaxing and enjoyable seasonal break, and a prosperous and happy New Year.

Have fun,

Mark & ‘Tifa

x

I am prone to whimsy, but this has to be considered one of my most impulsive moments ever...

I am yet to buy any of the presents I need to buy this year. I am aware of this, and the impending sense of dread for the horror of Christmas Eve shopping is an ever closer Sword of Damacles.

So, when I was in Sainsbury's the other day, what in the world possessed me to purchase this:

1. I was there for a 'few essentials', not items of whimsy.
2. Kitty doesn't know what Christmas is.
3. Kitty gets treats every day anyway.
4. Actual people should get priority of Christmas present purchase over kitty.
5. It's November and despite my neuroticism over getting presents bought early, I shoudn't really be worried about buying presents yet.
6. Buying two boxes of treats and a cat toy seperately from the pointless seasonal packaging would have been significantly cheaper.
7. Kitty has many, many toys already, and I have months worth of treat supplies in stock.
8. &c, &c, &c...

I don't even celebrate 'Christmas' in the traditional sense: my staunch faithlessness makes it uncomfortable for me to even call the period from  December to January 'Christmas'. I generally tend to call it 'Yuletide'/ 'Yule' or 'Festive Period'. It seems somewhat hypocritical to me that, as a somewhat passionate non-believer, that I should embrace a religious festival, however much it is ingrained into British culture. I take this period of time as an opportunity to enjoy friends' and family members' company as people (myself included) tend to make more effort around this period to see each other. I swap presents with family, which is lovely, but I certainly don't go wild and buy loads of presents for loads of people. I'm not a humbug by any stretch of the imaginiation, I just completely 'deChristianify' the whole period and minimise present purchase for something that I don't actually believe in. 

Yet, despite all this, I bought the kitty a Christmas present... in November.

I should be mocked.

Have fun,

M x

I may not always agree with his politics, but Steve Tierney is a friend and I enjoy reading his lively blog. He is a fellow geek and Conservative Councillor. The focus of his blog is politics, but he also indulges in other topics (such as geekery). He is also a particularly brave chap inasmuch as he asked a Liberal Democrat to write a guest post on his Conservative blog. I thought that this was admirable, and an interesting concept. Guests posts are an interesting idea at the best of times, but guest posts from someone that isn't obvious is a great idea. 

This got me thinking, I'd like the occassional guest poster too - both obvious choices and more unusual choices like the Liberal Democrat on Steve's blog. Perhaps someone who is a 'dog person'? Or a self-confessed cat hater? Maybe someone who works with cats or other animals?

Any guest post would have to be loosely linked (and it can be very loose) to either kitties or gayness, but if you're up for it, why not get in touch? Please contact me with your concept for a guest post if you're interested.  

Cheers,

M x

I'm dead chuffed!

It's something that I've wanted to do for a while, but this was my first opportunity to attend the training: I am now officially an RSPCA Volunteer Home Visitor. I have a certificate, and everything!

My new volunteer work isa vital part of the adoption process for rescue cats from the RSPCA. I have opted not to do other animals as I'm not really aware of the issues involved with animals other than cats, but it is possible to be a home visitor for any rescue animals. I am responsible for going to potential new owners' homes and assessing whether they'll be appropriate owners for the cat that they want. I remember Beth, the Home Visitor who came to my flat, being particularly lovely: you're there not to just check that everything is appropriate there for the people to become pet owners, but also to offer advice that the potential new owners might need. If the people pass, you then subsequently do a second visit to check that the kitty has settle in and that everything is okay for both the people and the kitty.

It's an opportunity for me to give something back to the wonderful people whom I got 'Tifa from. It's also an opportunity for me to meet many, many kitties! Hooray!

If anything interesting arises from any of my home visits, I'll be sure to post something on Q&L!

M x

That's 'Batchelor of Arts', not 'Bad Attitude' (although oftentimes she can be accused of the latter)...

I was recently made aware of a BBC documentary that managed to register a cat as hypnotherapist. This got me thinking deliciously childish thoughts: what could I register 'Tifa as or get her qualified in? What mailing lists could I get the diva kitty to join? A friend of mine went through a particularly fruity stage of joining as many mailing lists as humanly possibly and making up the most ridiculous names possible (I'm sure I remember Barbara Smellipoo being one of them) and seeing if bands/ cluns/ etc would notice or not and send information to his parents home.

So, if I actually get off my backside and bother to do this (a la wanting to make 'Tifa an official lolcat and/ or launch a Q&L webcomic), I shall post up what qualifications I've gained for the diva kitty or what associations I've managed to join on her behalf. Or, as I suspect is likely, it'll remain a mildy amusing, silly thought...

M x

Okay, here's the thing, for the first time in quite a while I've met a bloke that I like that actually seemingly likes me. It's early days, but he seems like a pretty decent guy, and I fancy him, and want to get to know him better.

I haven't told him about this blog yet.

He's aware that I have a cat, and is aware that she is called Latifa. I've even cracked the lame "I'm the queen; she's Latifa!" joke and he pretended that it was funny. He's not anti-cat per se, but he's not schoolgirl squealy squishy about them like I am.

So here's the problem: when do I tell him about this blog? I'm perfectly aware that it is eccentric to the extreme and can make some people raise a critical eyebrow. He knows I play World of Warcraft, listen to metal music, watch WWE wrestling, go to the speedway, and various other unusual interests, yet I've not told him about the blog. And the main reason is that the last guy I told about it (and gave the website address) went off me in a hurry. I have no idea if this was because I thought I was a nutter for writing a kitty blog, or for another reason, but the doubt is there.

I aint going anywhere. I enjoy writing this blog almost as much as I enjoy spending time with the diva kitty. No man could make me stop writing Q&L, but I do fear that Q&L might stop me dating certain men. But I guess that if a guy can't accept me for the peculiar, eccentric, neurotic, blogger queen that I, he's not the one for me, right?

M x

In a similar vein to the last entry, this is related to my twenty eleventh birthday.

My friend Jamie paints as a hobby, and his artwork is a lot of fun. It's certainly a lot more enjoyable to look at than some modern pap in my opinion. As a birthday present, Jamie painted me a picture of 'Tifa, and I'm chuffed to bits with it: it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

I thought I'd share it with you:

Thanks Jamie! Big love!

M x

It was my 31st (or as I've been referring to it as, my twenty eleventh!) birthday last week. Hence why I've been a bit lax with blog entries. Apologies.

My mom makes handmade cards, and everyone she knows get one of her cards for their birthday. She's talented at making cards and is an incredibly caring and thoughtful lady: everyone gets a card that is just lovely and very much personalised. I was no different this year - see below:

I just love how she's gone to the trouble of ensuring that there is 'Tifa' written on the bowl, and actually getting the markings right on the diva kitty with the colouring right down to the black smudge under her nose. My mom is great! Love you, mom.

M x