Yes, this blog does consist of a lot of hiatuses

Hiatus. A word meaning a long break. Yes, I do take long breaks. Not because I have nothing to write about, but because it is difficult to sit my lazy butt down in my chair and apply myself to the business of writing. I can stare at a computer screen all day, mostly using the WASD keys and the mouse. This is fun, entertaining, relaxing, lots of other words. It is not productive. I need to get into the habit of being productive. Writing, applying words to delineate concepts, is both easy and hard.

Easy, in that it is easy to write scads of meaningless blather about the weather, the state of $Celebrity's marriage, politics, religion, et freakin cetera. Hard in that you really have to think about exactly why you are writing what you are writing. What concepts are you trying to communicate to the reader. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Semantic content, practically zero (unless someone is learning to type).

With the rise of personal computers, it's now very easy for someone to create a beautifully formatted and laid out piece of text. Lowering the bar, so to speak. Whether that piece of text is worth reading... well, that's up to the reader. Which requires reading the text. At least with longer pieces (like novels) you can determine quite quickly whether you want the writer's preconceptions rattling around in your brain.

Case in point, I recently started reading a post-apocalyptic survival adventure novel chronicling the adventures of an American family. Five pages in, and the family is hidden on a hilltop watching a horrific scene of violence play out on the read below them. Bad people doing bad things to unlucky people. I cannot remember the details, mainly because I don't want to, but the author devoted more than a page to the details. The scene finishes with the teenage daughter saying "Shouldn't we do something to help?"

Her father replies "No, there's no point. They'd just kill us too." And the family goes on their merry way. And so did the book, to end it's maiden flight with a sudden impact on the wall. I do _NOT_ want to waste an afternoon reading nihilistic dreck about cardboard people surviving horrible events and scenes where repulsive characters do horrible things, that are described in great (I wanted to say loving, but that was rather inappropriate) detail.

I'd rather spend that afternoon reading about interesting things, people doing great things, with fun, humour, tragedy and heroism.

'Nother hiatus. Life happened.

Yes, it was another hiatus .Life happened. My place of employment dispensed with my services, and our previous landlord decided to dispense with our rent payments, all two weeks before Christmas. Sometimes, life happens in such a way as to make you question it really hard. and then, six weeks after moving to a more rural location and trying really hard to celebrate some sort of Christmas, well, lets just say cats and rural roads really don't mix and leave it at that. Much sadness ensued.

Still, one feline overlord still rules the roost. And the rooster. And sends the fluffy poufball of a Birman from next door packing when he wanders past. And watches the rabbits playing in the orchard next door. So I, Minion Beta, hereby pronounce life to be, well, not great, but not too bad and could be a whole lot worse.

Hiatus.

In the past two years of non-blogginess, the original Feline Overlord has departed for the Great Feline Heaven, where mice are salmon-flavoured and catnip grows on trees. Inoperable cancer near and eventually growing into her spine. Inexpressible sadness ensued, and tears were many.

Now, however, there are two of them. Life, happiness and a home are incomplete without the proper feline overlordship, and so, Hula Girl and myself hied ourselves to the local cat rescue shelter where one tabby kitten with caramel splotches greeted us with gracious head-bunts and copious purring. Her sister came home with us as well, and sadly succumbed to the cat flu before we really got a chance to know her.

More sadness, alleviated by the adoption a few weeks later of a little ginger tabby with golden eyes.
Photos and more to follow.

Sometimes the bear wins

It's been a busy day at Minion Beta's workplace (something in the science line of things). Still, I managed to finish work on time and head home. I was met halfway home by Hula Girl out on her afternoon constitutional, which made the rest of the walk home much more enjoyable. Our resident Feline Overlord was sniffing around the neighbor's garden and looked somewhat guilty, although of what neither of us could tell.

Still, she accompanied us home and promptly started insisting on dinner. I wonder if she would prefer Tasty Beef in Gravy or Roast Chicken?

Some observations of the state of Feline Overlords

As remarked by Hula Girl, our resident Feline Overlord has many nom-de-plumes. "Her Highness Fluffball Fishbreath FloopyBelly the First" is her current expanded reign name. I could go on...

Ze Feline Overlord

The Feline Overlord in her younger years (she has just turned 40 in feline-equivalent years, around 7 of our inferior human time units) catching a nap after a long day of supervising her hapless minions. Why yes, I do write this blog for her. She finds the keyboard much more attractive to lie upon than to actually use. Plus, no opposable thumbs. It is the only reason she tolerates our existence, regarding us as fairly clever tin-opening and pats-dispensing... well.. minions.

Friday night, not at the movies.

Mostly because How to Train Your Dragon Two hasn't been released yet. Hula Girl is perched on the couch watching The West Wing (although perhaps flopped might be a better term). Feline Overlord has taken up residence next to  her and is fast asleep. Was fast asleep, until I dropped in for a snuggle. And received the Feline Overlord's Class 3 stare of "How dare you disturb me Minion". Eyebrows crisping, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and retreated to the kitchen.

Such is life in the domicile of the Feline Overlord and her two minions, myself and Hula Girl.

Wednesday evening, New Zealand Standard Time. Getting ready for bed. Feline Overlord is sleeping on her favourite fluffy blanket on the couch again. Interesting times to follow.

First Post

The start of something new? Or just the wild maundering of a crazy (eccentric I say!) minion for a single Feline Overlord (Pictured above). Hmm. Brief attack of writers block. Where o where is my gasoline-powered turbo-charged eight-cylinder writer's block wrecking machine. Must be in my other set of pants. Now, where did I leave th- Oh. In the wash. Damn. Back to the drawing board. Feline Overlord is currently sleeping on the fluffy blanket folded up on the comfy couch, from where she (Yes, Feline Overlord is a female, tabby/tortie moggy) can observe the den, lounge and kitchen. When she's not sleeping. Or preparing to sleep. Or something.

More later.