squirrels attack hawk/falcon/predatory birdy guy!

two squirrels managed to drive a snacking hawk(?) out of their tree. i didn't get any *great* shots, but it was exciting.





i love the little foot sticking up!





after some consideration, i believe it might be a cooper hawk, but i'm certainly not certain.

moody pictures of my significant other

i talked with a random guy on the walk from campus to my apartment and had to make up some "plans with my boyfriend" in order to get out of giving him my number/inviting him up.

we had a nice evening together.

robins are so chill!

brave robins let me stick my camera right in their faces.

more fluffy boy!

youaresofuzzy.

i suddenly feel so getto

located in the exclusive kenwood neighborhood (well maybe not) my apartment features magnificently high ceilings, tall windows and abundant light, spacious rooms and charming architectural details inside and out. rent divided four ways comes out to just over $400 each. what more could i ever want?

… sure would be nice if it was waterproof.

the constant dripping is actually kinda soothing- i've always liked those indoor waterfalls. the drips had better stay in the kitchen though! the landlords say they'll take care of it soon, but if leaks start up in my bedroom i'm throwing a shit storm on someone.

Obama is our President!

i was interviewed over the phone yesterday for the teaching program i want to do. it was... quick. and suddenly i'm thinking, what the hell am i getting myself into? we'll see.

no rejections yet.... thats good.

i got a letter from the university of chicago law school yesterday. picked it up and thought, oh man, this is bad news. it was far too light to be an acceptance letter. only one page. but it turns out my application is on hold. they're going to look over it again later, and in the mean time i'm encouraged to send additional information.... another essay, updated transcript, another recommendation letter. i bet i would have gotten in if my LSAT score hadn't been so terrible. i really messed that up. but everyone hates tests. right?

arg. just when i though i was finished with applications, but, it's much better than rejection. and UT still wants me. wouldn't mind heading back to texas.

something exciting happened!

first of all, it's really cold out. i know, stating the obvious, but, really, it's really, really cold out. the type of cold where, after a couple minutes, you think you will never be warm again.

second, some friends and i almost got arrested yesterday. well technically early this morning. in short, we drove south to see someone about something and got pulled over just as we were leaving. fucking cops made us sit there on the side of the road, in the cold, for 20 min. while they went on about

"this is a dangerous neighborhood, what are kids like you doing around here... were you buying narcotics... if you have drugs on you, you should hand them over... you wont get into any trouble if you give us the narcotics, but if we catch you hiding drugs we will arrest you..."

yeah, sure. they obviously had nothing on us, just a bunch of kids in a beat-up old volvo driving around south chicago. they had to let us go eventually. good thing we didn't finish the beer we'd been drinking before we left.

damn, those are some crazy ice sickles.



there's something about cracked plaster that i like.

more winter pics

when i saw a cardinal i had to take some pics. (look close, there are actually two birds in the first shot)



he had a lovely little chirp, and was singing the entire time i was shooting. hope he's got someplace warm to spend the next couple days.


some of the art deco details Chicago's known for.


just gotta love those snow covered sculptures.

i'll miss this place

nostalgic before i even leave.

"optimistic" high of -2 expected thurs.

i love the architecture in my neighborhood. i don't love the snow, although sometimes it's pretty. and i am NOT looking forward to the forecast weather later this week. why, Chicago, why? (Tom knows why)



(can you tell the political leanings on my neighbors?)

G+m

wow, i should not go into film.

i just remembered,

this it quite possibly my favorite commercial of all time.



and while we're on youtube, a brief anecdote:

while i was home over break i was killing time browsing around youtube when i landed on some noisy kittens video, which really upset MK, she woke up from a nap a began to search the house for a hungry kitten. the concerned look on her face was adorable, so, of course, i had to play the video (and others like it) over and over. until my mother and sister were about to kill me.

boycat was not bothered in the least. he's far to self-absorbed (yes, even exceptionally so for a cat) to care about some other animal.

when i played the video for Goose he woke up and came over to investigate, but he didn't seem particularly concerned, just interested.

hey look

i'm half cat!

did you know?

--turns out that all the cats in China are orange. seriously. it's kinda like how all Canadians sleep on the floor.

i studied in China fall '07, these are the kitties i made friends with.






also, remember that 20 page paper due last monday? i just finished it! whoo. it was a little tough.

aaaand now it's 11:00 on a friday night. i think i might go to sleep. told you cats are the most interesting thing in my life. or maybe i'll stay up late drinking wine and downloading music.
fuck. i'm my mom.

But Wait! more abyssinians!

i also have an abyssinian. her name is Ms. Kitty. or, Girly Girl, or 猫太 (when younger 猫小姐). there was also a few days over break when she was Guinevere, since i was the ill-made knight, and she loves me very much. she's a little crazy, but she loves me very much.

abyssinians are great cats. They "'must be one of the most intelligent animals ever created. ...a very people-oriented cat. Not a lap cat... but a cat that likes to be with people, a cat that wants to know what you are doing - that wants to help. There is probably no breed anywhere more loyal than the Aby. Once you have acquired an Aby as a companion, you will never be able to complain that no one understands you. Abys are very good at training people to do just what they want them to do.'"



Ours have special beds on the top of the built-in book shelf/tv cabinet. the rent's cat also likes to ride around on my dad's shoulders like a parrot.

Abyssinians make good family pets but tend to bond with Adults and older children rather than young toddlers. Abyssinians are not vocal, having a small bell like voice to communicate. They prefer and seek higher places to sit such as backs of chairs, refrigerators and scratching poles. They get on very well with dogs and will quickly teach the dog who is the boss. Abyssinians can be taught to fetch and retrieve small objects and because of their dog like antics, they are often attractive to men who previously thought that they did not like cats. Once a relationship is formed there is no breed more loyal than an Abyssinian. Expect to be greeted with enthusiasm and devote 10-15 minutes attention to your Abyssinian on your homecoming. Being "people" cats, they can become very lonely if left for long periods of time alone so it's often wise to have two as company for each other.

i miss my girl, maybe i'll go to UT and adopt her. we make a good pair. mom says, for the entire day before i fly home each time, she waits by the door- psychic kitty style. she is a bit paranoid sometimes. not a starter kitty. ... Goose, on the other hand, is *way* low key. the *best ever* cat for dog people/neverhadapet people. he's so forgiving.

while you wait, here are some kitties

Goose loves his mousies!


these toy mice come i packages of three, and i'm constantly buying more. unless he eats them (which isn't so far fetched seeing as he eats most everything else) there *should* be 12 / 15 / 18 (i forget which) of these guys around the apartment. right now i can find: 0. perhaps i'll go on a mousie hunt later.

also, a different cute cat: my mother's abyssinian: he's so fucking spoiled. but cute, so what can you do?









my father calls him Binky
my mother calls him Buddy
or is that backward?

i call him Boy Cat, or Twerp.

first day of winter quarter

besides having hardly worked on my ba over break, and therefore being woefully behind, (topic what topic? the thing's due this spring... well, it will have something to do with Chinese criminal law... besides that... um...) the start of my penultimate quarter has begun without a hitch. i found myself smiling during chinese for no apparent reason, then remembered, oh yeah, i like school. that's why i feel so bored during break. not that christmas wasn't delightfully lovely: mexico, family, seviche, feeding pregnant kitties at the hotel restaurant, sun and sand, beer, austin, wine, friends, feeding kitties at the dinner table, sun and oak trees, texmex.

as for today, went to class , payed rent, bought flowers for the neighbors who looked after my cat over break, walked back to campus for another class but found out it was canceled-- but i did have a nice chat with a cute classmate who had also showed up, so not a total waste of time. but apparently i have a 15 page paper due today i was supposed to work on over break. i'll deal with that later- it's another ba thing, not as bad as it sounds.

but, i must get some work done. in conclusion, let me introduce you to my goose:



















his real name is Gustavus after Gustavus Adolphus the "father of modern warfare" (if i ever adopt two boy kitties at once i plan on naming them Clausewitz and Machiavelli). But he is far to floppy and cuddly to pull off that name, so it's been shortened to Goose. or, my big fluffy silly goose.