Jimmy Kitty Live!

I have enjoyed being a cat owner again. This week we took Jimmy to the vet just for a basic post-adoption checkup and to get a rabies shot. We learned a few new things about him.

I don't know whether it was in the packet we got from the Humane Society, which I didn't look at, or if there was info in his microchip. I don't know how that works. Anyway, I thought he had been in the shelter since April, but it turns out he'd actually been there since February--and he'd even been in the shelter before that, probably the previous April. I was really surprised that he'd been turned in to the Humane Society twice. He's such a sweet, easygoing cat that I don't understand that people would give him up more than once. I understand if you move or whatever and can't keep him, but I would think it would have been easy to find a home for him. And how sad that it happened twice! It made me wonder--does he think going back to the Humane Society is just part of life? Does he feel traumatized from it? Would he rather live in a house with us, or would he rather live in that room in the Humane Society with all his cat friends? But maybe he doesn't have the capacity to think about all those things. After all, he thinks he can catch and eat laser lights.

We also learned that he has no claws at all, front or back. The Humane Society really seemed to emphasize that he was only missing his front claws, but he's missing them all. I am a little disappointed about this. Not only is it sad for him, but it also means he can't go outside--which means he won't catch mice, and it means I'll have to empty his litter box all year long. His only defense is his teeth, and that's another thing we learned--he's missing one of his canine teeth. After we learned that, I noticed his missing tooth when he yawned.

We have had him for eight nights, and five of those nights he slept on my bed. For the most part he leaves me alone until he sees that I'm awake. Then he will sit on me and knead me, and he will rub his head against my neck. I'm very ticklish, so I can't say I enjoy that 100 percent, but it is cute. I got him a little Halloween house--I didn't expect him to use it, but I'm a sucker for anything holiday. But he has liked it!

He doesn't really like the balls my mom got him.

He's seven or eight years old, which is considered "senior," but he's still half the age we're used to for a cat.

***

I've been trying to get in the Halloween mood this week. I was thinking about holidays, and while of course I love holidays in general, I prefer the holidays where the celebrations are connected with the seasons in which they occur. I love how Halloween is very much an autumn festival. Pumpkins and apples are in season, so you carve pumpkins and bob for apples. Some people get into the scary stuff, but I prefer the autumnal stuff. (I still enjoy some of the spooky stuff, but mostly silly spooky stuff.)

My favorite movie of all time is The Nightmare before Christmas. I got it for my birthday when I was six years old, and as most kids do, I watched it over and over. It has become a tradition now, and I'm pretty sure I can recite the dialog of the entire movie.

Anyway, I also have the music of the movie in my Halloween playlist, which I listen to often at this time of year. I have the original soundtrack. I have the 2005 version, which put the music of the end credits into one track instead of two, featured original Danny Elfman demos, and included rock covers of some of the songs. And I have Nightmare Revisited, a hit-and-miss cover album of the entire soundtrack. (The instrumentals are quite nice, but the cover of "Jack's Obsession" is horrendous.)

When I learned that the Utah Symphony was playing the soundtrack live while showing the movie on a large screen, I knew I had to see it. But I didn't get tickets in time, so they only had single tickets--hence I went and saw it all by myself. At work that day, I had a bad headache, which rarely happens to me, and I had to use some of my sick hours because I did lots of napping at my desk. But I was mostly recovered by the time of the concert. 

They took out all the music, but they kept the dialog, sound effects, and even the singing. For a lot of the songs, the tempo didn't quite match up with the singing. It was a bit unsettling. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I have the music memorized, so I noticed. At times, however, they totally nailed it, and sometimes I forgot it was a live score.

I was worried that I'd finally gotten to the point where I didn't notice any new details, but I did: the news anchor has a spilled cup of coffee on her desk.

I also had a few things on my bucket list that I did this week, including bobbing for apples and going to a corn maze. (I went to a party where the apple bobbing was in a pool full of styrofoam. That's not bobbing for apples! It wasn't even fun!)

Another thing on my bucket list has been to hear an owl hoot. Two years ago, I was on a trail in the dark and heard one, so I've returned to the trail to hear one again. Sadly, I haven't heard one this year, but it is fun and romantic to be on a trail on a dark October evening.

Halloween is my third-favorite holiday. But I have a feeling that I like my least-favorite holiday even more than the average person likes their favorite.

***

Ooh boy, we're down to our last month of pumpkinundation roundup!

 Bahama Buck's Candy Corn Shaved Ice has a slightly buttery, very sweet taste. It kind of does actually taste like candy corn, even though candy corn isn't really a flavor. 7/10.

 I was surprised by my Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Sea Salt Caramel Apple. The caramel was not firm like I expected; it was slippery. I didn't feel like I would hurt my teeth, but my teeth just kept sliding and it was hard to take a bite. But sometimes the simple things are the best. 8/10.

 The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Pumpkin Spice Truffle isn't very pumpkiny, but it's good chocolate. 7/10.

 There are different textures of gummy candies. There are the translucent fruit snacks and gummy bears, which I like, and then there's the opaque, extra chewy kind used in peach rings and Trolli products--which I don't like as much. These Parley's Street Gummy Candy Corn do taste like candy corn, but they have that texture I don't like, and they have a weird aftertaste. 6/10.

 This Imagine Pumpkin Creamy Soup has a pleasant autumn scent. It's OK. I threw some pepitas (pumpkin seeds with no shells) in it. 6/10.

 Tillamook Pumpkin Cookie Butter Ice Cream is what I ate while watching the Halloween-themed episode of The Brady Bunch and The Mummy (1932). (I used the same bowl I had used for pumpkin soup.) It has little bits of cookie pieces in it. It's good, but the speculoos in it tastes more like Christmas. 8/10.

 Caramel apple season is almost over, so I tried to get a lot of them--especially since I don't feel as bad eating them because I'm eating fruit. This is a Kneaders Butterfinger Caramel Apple. It's just what it sounds like. 8/10.

 Then the Kneaders Nut Caramel Apple (I don't know what it's really called) is similarly good. 8/10.

 My first Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie fell apart. I don't remember a whole lot about it. I think the chips had a cream cheese flavor, and the cookie base was a fairly typical pumpkin cookie. I've wanted to try these for years and finally did. 7/10.

Cross E Ranch had this apple cider donut, which I think is an East Coast thing. I'd never had one before. It's not the sugar bomb you get from a grocery store donut. 7/10.

Also at Cross E Ranch they had a caramel apple maker, but I don't remember her name. I got a pumpkin spice caramel apple, with pumpkin spice white chocolate and spices. The white chocolate was a little weird, but I think almost all caramel apples deserve 8/10.

I went to a dinner where someone brought this pumpkin chocolate chip cake. Wonderful. 8/10.

Crazy cat lady and basic white girl

Ever since our cat Jenny died this summer, I've felt like there's been a hole in my heart that could only be filled by a cat.

It might not be super masculine to admit this, but I love cats. I love the way cats walk into a room and start purring. I love how they stretch out their front paws and blink as they do so, and they stretch out their back legs behind them. I love the way they knead. I love how they rub their head and neck on everything. They're just adorable.

After Jenny died, I began thinking about what I wanted to do. Since I've wanted to do 30 major things while I was 29, I thought I could wait until my birthday and then get a cat as one of my bucket list items.

I also thought that if I waited to get a cat until the fall, I could get a kitten, and then it would still be a little kitten for when my nephews come visit at Christmastime. (Jenny was not good with children, so they didn't really get to play with her.)

As I thought more about it, though, I thought a kitten wasn't a good idea. Kittens certainly are the most adorable things on the planet. But the problem is that my dad will only let us have a cat if it is declawed. Jenny was declawed as a kitten. I was practically a kitten when she was a kitten. But I can't bring myself to get a cat declawed. I don't care that other people do, but I can't be the one that gets it done to them. (Just like I don't care if people hunt but I can't do it myself.) So I decided the best option was to adopt a cat that was already declawed.

Yesterday we drove down to the Humane Society to pick out a new cat. There were only three they knew of that were declawed. The first cat didn't like humans, so they didn't even let us look at it.

The second one was a black and white two-year-old female named Sky. They said she was super sweet, but she was scared and shy and wouldn't really let us pet her. In that room, the cats were all in individual cages, though they would let some of them out at a time.

Then they took us to see one named Oliver, who was eight years old. The employee told us she thought he was the one with a short tail. In that room, all the cats were living together communally outside of cages. We petted the bobtail cat, but he wasn't super friendly. At that time, we overlooked this cat sitting placidly on a chair.

Will the real Oliver still stand up?

We went back in the cage room to look at Sky again. Our biggest concern with that cat was she had long hair. We've only ever had domestic shorthairs. We were amused by some of the other cats in that room; there was one cat relaxing in a plastic bag.

There was a big grey cat that kept trying to get out of its cage, but there were three signs on the cage saying not to let it out! You could only let it out if you were going to adopt it and there were no other cats out. Some of the other cats would hiss whenever they walked by.

I still wasn't sure about Sky, though, so we went back to look at Oliver. And we learned that the one we thought was Oliver actually had claws. There was another similar cat, with a full-sized tail, that didn't seem to have claws. So we confirmed with the employees that the one sitting calmly on a chair was actually Oliver. He was much more welcoming of us petting him. At one point, two other cats got in a mild fight, and one of them backed underneath Oliver's chair and began hissing and growling at the other cat. Oliver was perfectly serene with the fighting going on literally beneath him. (I think one of those cats was the one that kept randomly attacking my mom's hands unprovoked.) I decided that was the one I wanted.

We learned that Oliver had been turned in when his previous owners had a baby. He had been in the shelter since April! We also learned that he had really just been called "Kitty"; Oliver was what the shelter called him.

So I adopted him. But his name is now Jimmy. Once I was making a vet appointment for Jenny, and they thought I said Jimmy, so I thought Jimmy would be a good name for a boy cat. I still have to get used to calling him that, though.

I feel happy that we were able to finally give him a home after he had been there so long. I don't know why he wasn't adopted before, because he's such an easygoing cat. Maybe because he's eight years old no one wanted him?

He's still a little skittish and getting used to us. But he spent all night on my bed, sometimes headbutting me. He really likes chasing laser lights. I haven't really seen him eating, so I hope he remembers where his food is. He is our third cat and our first boy cat; the others were Dinah (2001-2002) and Jenny (2002-2017).

I'm excited to get to know him better in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. 

***

Time for pumpkinundation roundup, aka Basic White Girl Hour.

 Someone made this pumpkin pie for an FHE activity, but I suspect they bought the crust. It was runnier than most pumpkin pies, but still good. 8/10.

 I got this Bahama Buck's Caramel Apple Shaved Ice on a warmer day this week. It's an apple shaved ice with caramel and some other things on it. I liked it and found it refreshing, but I think that was the apple part more than the caramel part. 7/10.

 When they asked if I wanted my Kneaders cinnamon caramel apple cut, of course I said no! That takes the fun out of it. I like the cinnamon flavor because some of the other flavors get overwhelming with too much stuff on them. 8/10.

 These Nonni's Pumpkin Spice Thin Addictives are from Big Lots. That should tell you something. They're like croutons with the sweetness level of fortune cookies. I wasn't impressed. 3/10.

 This is the third or fourth year I've had these Sunbelt Bakery Pumpkin Spice Chewy Granola Bars. They're not as pumpkiny as some things, but I really like them. 7/10.

 Little Debbie Pumpkin Spice Rolls are disappointing. They have "natural & artificial flavor." That means real spices but not real pumpkin. Really!? Pumpkin rolls, made with real pumpkin, are one of the most basic pumpkin desserts out there! 5/10.

 I had a Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink, which is basically warm apple juice with caramel and whipped cream on top. I think it's real juice, but it had that artificial apple flavor you expect in candy, and it was sickeningly sweet. 4/10.

 The Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin was better, though they could have done without the cream cheese--not because it was bad, but because it didn't add anything. 7/10.

 I had a Pumpkin Pie Larabar on a short run this week. I've had better Larabars. 6/10.

 Thomas Pumpkin Spice Bagels are the best store-bought bagels I've found. They have little pockets of what seems to be pumpkin pie filling. 7/10.

 I had Smith's Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts. Is there such a thing as a bad donut? 8/10.

 I thought this Alouette Pumpkin Spice Soft Spreadable Cheese would be disgusting, but it wasn't. It's like cream cheese, though it has a strange cheesy aftertaste. 7/10.

 Not everything from Big Lots is bad, though. I liked these Mother's Farms Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips better than the Trader Joe's pumpkin tortilla chips. They're tortilla chips with a hint of sweetness. 7/10.

 I ran to Ensign Peak and then to its base, then ran back home, 10 miles roundtrip. On Ensign Peak I ate my Spiced Pumpkin Pie Clif Bar. It actually hasn't been long since I had one, since I had some leftover from last fall. These are better than you might expect. They have a definite pumpkin and spice flavor. 7/10. I'd probably give it a higher rating if I hadn't been eating it with a somewhat dry mouth.

 This week I should draft my official review for these Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Cobbler Cookies. Is there even such a thing as pumpkin cobbler? These cookies have a sticky pumpkin filling. They're pretty good. 7/10.

I first had these Jet-Puffed Pumpkin Spice Mallows on a groundwater field trip four years ago. They taste like ginger and not much else. 6/10. I'm really disappointed I haven't seen the caramel apple marshmallows this year, because I thought those were the best of the fall-flavored marshmallows. 

13.1

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon!

Some people put running a half marathon on their bucket list and then train for it. That wasn't the case for me. I do a lot of trail running just for fun, and I was at the point where I thought, "You know, I think I'm in good enough shape that I could do a half marathon." So, just a week before the race, I signed up for the Haunted Half Marathon in SLC. Last May I did a twelve-mile trail run, but that was six miles up and six down, and I was totally exhausted at the end. That was the longest I had ever run. My runs haven't been as long in the last few months; a few weeks ago I ran over nine miles (with ups and downs), but it wasn't the eleven I've been doing.

Since it was a costumed race, I wore my Vector costume. Two years ago, I got an orange warm-up suit (not pajamas!) so I could be Vector from Despicable Me, because there are few characters who wear glasses. Little did I know that that costume would be a perfect costume for a half marathon on a chilly October morning. A few people complimented it, and one person said, "I don't mean to be rude, but you look just like him."

Early in the morning, we loaded up buses to shuttle up to the starting point at Emigration Canyon. I didn't sleep well, because I never do when I know I have to get up early, even when I'm secure knowing that my alarm is set. It was a rainy, cool morning, and when we got on the buses, they told us it was snowy and windy up the canyon. They kept the buses down in Sugar House (not Failureville ;) ) for a bit, and then once we got up the canyon, they let us stay on the bus. Once it was time to get off, I was really appreciative that they let us stay on. It was freezing. So cold. The temperature wasn't too bad, but that wind was unpleasant. But there was a pioneer monument up there, and I guess the pioneers went through a lot worse. It had snowed about an inch, and with the vehicles on the road, it had formed some ice. It wasn't very slippery ice, but still, ice is my arch nemesis. A lot of the others there were serious runners, with all the best gear and lots of past races under their belts. I wondered: Am I a serious runner that I can do this running without worrying about all those things they worry about? Or am I not a serious runner because I don't know anything about them? They had energy gels at the starting line, which I had never had before. I was not impressed.

The first mile went by quickly. Not literally, but it seemed quick, because we were all going slow because of the ice, so it was easy. At every mile post, they had skeletons with posters: "Runners don't die, they just smell like it"; "Would you run faster if we told you there was a clown behind you?"; "Your ten-mile warmup is over, time for the 5k," "Run like there's a hot guy in front of you and a creepy guy behind you."

I think about mile 3 I had gotten into my stride and it seemed like, "OK, I can do this." I even declined water at the 3-mile mark, though I got Powerade at all the other aid stations.

I had to take bathroom breaks at miles 7 and 9, which slowed down my time, especially because there were lines, but it wasn't too bad. It was a pleasant, lovely morning.

Once I got past mile 9, though, it finally got tough. That was when the course quit going downhill and got flat. But I don't think that was really the issue. That's just where my legs got sore, and I got really hungry. Should I have taken one of those weird energy gels they gave out back at mile 7? I wondered. But that was only 100 calories, so I don't know if it would have made a difference.

About mile 10, I saw an orange cat with no tail, so I let out my requisite "aww!" I considered petting it, but I was still being timed, and a little girl was already petting it anyway.

At mile 11, though I was sore, I thought, "Only two miles. I can totally do this." And once I got to mile 12, my family was there to cheer me on.

Strangely, my last mile was my second fastest, even though it was the only one that was slightly uphill. When I saw how close I was to the finish line, I sped up and made it through. I did it! They gave me a nice finisher's medal.

At the finish line they were giving out Papa John's pizza. Pizza used to be my favorite food, but more recently my palate has shifted away from greasy things to yummy cooked veggies. Nevertheless, as I crossed that finish line, I was like, "Give me some of that cheesy, gooey, carbolicious goodness!"

Afterward, my head hurt. I don't know if it was all the running, or the lack of sleep, or something else. Once in a while, I will get a weird thing where I have a hard time focusing my eyes, like there are blank spots in my vision, and then I get a headache. I experienced that weird vision starting around mile 8, so maybe that was it? I don't know.

Today I'm pretty sore, and I feel ridiculous walking downstairs. I'm honestly more sore than I expected, because after my nine-mile run a few weeks ago, I wasn't really sore at all. This was only four more miles.

Will I do another half marathon sometime? Very possibly.

At this point, though, a full marathon still sounds just awful. See, I don't like doing hard things. I only do things that are a little hard until they become easy for me. But if I get to the point when I'm running 20+ miles just for fun, then maybe I'd consider a full marathon.

***
I'm a bit more justified doing pumpkinundation roundup since I can run thirteen miles. This week, though, I did think to myself, "What am I doing with my life?!" Last year I extended pumpkinundation roundup through Christmas, but this year I think I'll only do it through Thanksgiving, for my own health.

Kneaders pumpkin pie is a typical pumpkin pie, though I like the little leaf cutout on top. 8/10.

 Kodiak Cakes Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Minute Muffins feel more indulgent than they probably are, though I found this time all the chocolate settled to the bottom. In the past, I've made these with water, but this time I used milk. I really liked it. It only takes a minute in the microwave. 8/10.

 A Roxberry Pumpkin Bash Smoothie probably isn't a healthy lunch, but it sure is tasty and pumpkiny. 9/10.

 Nature's Path Pumpkin Seed + Flax Granola is decent. It's not very pumpkiny, but it's also not meant to be. 6/10.

 In February, they changed the vending machines at work, but they still sell the Dunford Bakers Calley's Favorites Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. It's hard to go wrong with this kind of cookie, though in large quantities it can get a little cakey--I'm glad there's chocolate to break it up. 8/10.

 This Red Button Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Ice Cream is the first I've had of this local brand. It has little soft crust parts. I can taste the cheesecake but not the pumpkin, even though it's in there. It's still good as ice cream. 7/10.

 Another locally made item is Stephen's Pumpkin Spice Gourmet Hot Cocoa. I find that often my mind reminisces on the first time I had a particular product. I think I first had it after I got home from my mission in 2009, but I mostly remember the fall of 2013, when I would make it before watching my nightly Halloween TV episodes. It's all right. 6/10.

 I'm pretty sure this Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice Donut is the first time I've been to Dunkin Donuts. I love the color, and it's hard to go wrong with a donut. Yes, that's the way I spell it. 9/10.

 These bulk Sprouts Pumpkin Spice Pretzels are tasty. 7/10.

 Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread is yummy. Way better than typical raisin bread. 7/10.

 I first had Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts in 2013. These are seriously one of the best flavors, so I get them every year. Think brown sugar and cinnamon, but better. 10/10. (Sugar Cookie at Christmas is my favorite, though.)

 Archer Farms Candy Corn Trail Mix has some random stuff in it: honey-roasted peanuts, candy corn, raisins, white chocolate pretzel balls. It's good. 7/10.

 Pirouline Pumpkin Spice Crème Filled Wafers are a weird off-brand product from Big Lots. The filling is a white confection with spices. 6/10.

 Nature's Path Pumpkin Spice with Chia oatmeal is kind of bland, and not very pumpkiny, but I'm not big on oatmeal anyway. 4/10.

 Pumpkin Spice Oreos are great. One of their more sophisticated flavors. 9/10.

 Sprouts Pumpkin Snaps are basically ginger snaps with pumpkin. I like them, but crunchy, crispy cookies aren't my preferred texture. 7/10.

 Neilsen's Pumpkin Frozen Custard is great, though I find that it's hard to taste the flavor after too much of any frozen dairy product. 8/10.

 Nature's Path Pumpkin Raisin Crunch Cereal is OK. All I could notice was how chewy the raisins were. I don't like spending that much time chewing. 6/10.

 We actually bought this Krusteaz Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread Mix last fall and still had it in the cupboard. I don't think we had it in waffles before, and it didn't turn out perfect. I think the mix is fine, though. 7/10.

Not technically a pumpkin item, but I want to show you this Argentinean butternut squash soup I made. It has squash, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and dried apricots. Even my squash-hating mother liked it. 8/10.