The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[Mamanyt1953]

Hekitty won't eat tuna, but she loves the water from the drained can!  I ask if she wants some "tuna soup" and she heads for the kitchen!

 

[swamplady]

 

 

 

 
Hi. I am not getting any email notices from here. It worked fine for a long time but this is the third day. I went to my subscriptions and all are okay. How do I get notices again?

                                                 Cindy

This may help: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/333378/missing-subscription-notifications

Emma had a coughing fit last nigh, almost asthma-like 

It's the second one she's had in a month or so. I'm going to keep an eye on her for now before I take her to the vet.  I probably should vacuum more often to keep the dust bunnies to a minimum

I fixed it then went back to check 4 times I did this. It is stuck on site only.

This is happening to several people on the site, with email addresses from multiple providers.  The problem seems to be with "one of the email addresses used to send out site notifications."  Anne is working on it.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/333378/missing-subscription-notifications#post_4189107

In the meantime, I suggest you bookmark a link to your profile page.  From there you can check all your subscriptions and see whether there are any new posts.  At least, that's what I'm doing.

Margret

After a long day I got home to find lots of notices. Thank-you all.

 

[Alicia88]

 

Cat birthdays are a lot like funerals, in that funerals are for the benefit of the bereaved, not the deceased, and cat birthday parties are for the benefit of their human companions, not the cats.  I'm sure that Connor, Murphy, and Mickey would all be happy for you to put a candle on a cupcake and eat it on their behalf.

Margret

I'll just feel very sad for missing it.  I told Natalie we had to hit the mall so I could find them special prezzies from Texas.

 
Might not be dust. I don't know about where you live, but here we've got all sorts of crazy stuff in bloom (and dying, and in bloom again, and dying--you'd think it was spring the way the weather is down here). Maybe it's pollen?

I have a suggestion--Skype! It's got to be good for something  other than giving creative telemarketers another way to get to you!

That's a good idea.  I've never used Skype.  I don't think Natalie has internet at her house - just on her phone - so maybe there's a mobile app.  I'll be staying with her cuz hotels are expensive and there's no use paying for one if there's a perfectly good couch to crash on.

 
I doubt it. It's the middle of winter here and we just had a nor'easter earlier this week. I'm really hoping Emma isn't starting to develop asthma

  I know asthma is treatable since my previous cat had it and took Flovent daily. I just want a break from having a pet with a chronic health issue. Does that seem selfish?

Every pet I've ever owned has had at least one health issue that needed ongoing treatment.

I'm not feeling social today so I snuck away for an early lunch without my co-worker

Sometimes I just want to be alone so I can recharge and have energy to finish the rest of my day. A lot of people don't understand that

So cats CAN have asthma?  I've been wondering about Connor.  I'm pretty sure I'm just paranoid but he he always snores and sometimes he sounds a little wheezy when he's awake.  Just kinda stuffed up.  Maybe he just has some kitty allergies?  I haven't had the money to go to the vet and get him checked out.  If it seemed serious, I'd get the money one way or another even if I had to sell a kidney, but he acts just fine.  Except that he doesn't run around like a madman as much as the other two.

I also have to be alone sometimes.  After I made it back home and before I had the money for an apartment or a car, I was living at a variety of places.  My sister was pregnant and already had 4 kids and I was sleeping on her couch for part of the week.  I didn't want her driving me 15 miles back and forth to work cuz she was on bed rest cuz munchkin was threatening to come early.  So, I had a ride to work and home Monday through Wednesday.  Wednesday and Thursday night, I stayed at my grandma's who lived here in town and she drove me to work and someone from work gave me a ride back to her place cuz she didn't want to drive after dark.  And then Friday and Saturday night, I stayed at John's.  We were already pretty serious by then.  He took me out on our first date the day after I got home and I spent 8 months staying at my mom's just enjoying being back.  Anyway, I was NEVER alone.  And it was really getting to me.  When I got my own apartment, it was kinda heavenly to just be BY MYSELF for a while.

 
That doesn't seem selfish at all to me.  Hopefully,  if Emma is developing asthma it will only be mild.  My RB kitty Milo developed asthma after we moved to an apartment with new but cheap carpet.  Fortunately, he only had a mild case that only caused trouble a few times a year.  He would take a round of prednisone and clavimox and be fine within a few days.  Here's hoping Emma doesn't have asthma but if she does, vibes coming your way that it is only a mild form.  

 

As for needing to get away to recharge - that makes perfect sense to me.  I have done that more times than I can remember.   In fact, introverts by definition recharge and get their energy from within while extroverts are energized by other people.  

I have another zooniverse project - Recognizing Animal Faces.  I'm looking at one cute animal face after the next and marking the eyes, nose and lips.  The researchers are working in artificial intelligence and training computers to understand the structure of animal faces.   The project write-up says their project will have an impact on  "a number of fields including animal health and welfare, species identification and animal-robot interaction."   I have been trying to figure out what animal-robot interaction entails.  Looking forward to the day robots empty cat boxes and bathe cats....

I don't mind dealing with the litter boxes much (a robot would be cool, but not overly necessary) cuz it's not difficult and doesn't take more than a minute.  Now, a robot that could bathe my kitties - being as gentle as a human - without me ending up looking like I went through a meat grinder - I could definitely go for that.

Just wanted to thank folks for the condolences. My brother-in-law has been gone for a week as of a half hour ago. My sister picked up his cremains yesterday, which has made her feel a little bit better. Still trying to process it all myself. She'll be having a life celebration in a couple of weeks.

Kinda cranky today. Day job getting to me a lot. Have a headache. Worried about the future. Just a lot on my mind.

On the plus side, Maple's blood work from her vet appointment on Tuesday was great. BUN was a tad high but everything else was good. Was very happy about that.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.  Glad about Maple's blood work, even though I have no clue what's going on with her.  

 
I would be a lot more worried if I didn't actually have a cat.  And Hekitty has a leash and collar (she won't go near them) hanging on the back door, so they would be hard put to prove that it wasn't a little mini-catio for her to use when she is out with me sitting in the back, which I do on a regular basis.  I would have to do something illegal or harrassing to my neighbors to get an immediate eviction.  The most they could do is tell me not to do that anymore, IF they could prove that the shelter actually was meant for ferals.

Aparently, the District Manager had a talk with the Site Manager about just what kind of inspection was to be done.  Mainly just see that the apartment is kept in GOOD order, not White-Glove order, and check for maintenance issues.  I passed with a perfect score, AND I'm getting a new refrigerator because the gaskets are shot in mine and the DM won't approve repairs on any appliance older than 10 years.  AND mine was never meant to be in a two-bedroom, so I'll be getting a larger unit!

Awwwwww....and this is one of those places where EVERYONE knows just how you feel about that.  And first birthdays are SO important!  

~note to self~ start saving now...H. Renee (Hekitty's corporate name...she likes something distinguished for career purposes..don't ask) will be 10 NEXT spring, 2018.  Must have WONDERFUL gift!

Hekitty won't eat tuna, but she loves the water from the drained can!  I ask if she wants some "tuna soup" and she heads for the kitchen!

Bigger fridge!  Yay!!!

I'm definitely a crazy cat lady.  They won't notice, but I will.

Ooh, double digits.  Yep, she needs an awesome present!  Since we both have jobs and don't have to worry about living on my school money and tax refund for an extended period of time, the boys are getting a fancy schmancy new scratching post for the birthday - along with other presents, of course.  I just have to choose one and that's gonna be rough.

These 3 love tuna.  I always give them the "tuna soup."

 

[donutte]

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.  Glad about Maple's blood work, even though I have no clue what's going on with her.  

She has very early-stage CKD, but is asymptomatic. After losing Lucky and Sara so close to one another, I'm quite happy Maple's blood work is, as my vet said, "for her age, fantastic".

 

[LTS3]

So cats CAN have asthma?  I've been wondering about Connor.  I'm pretty sure I'm just paranoid but he he always snores and sometimes he sounds a little wheezy when he's awake.  Just kinda stuffed up.  Maybe he just has some kitty allergies?  I haven't had the money to go to the vet and get him checked out.  If it seemed serious, I'd get the money one way or another even if I had to sell a kidney, but he acts just fine.  Except that he doesn't run around like a madman as much as the other two.

Yes, cats can have asthma. Coughing with a stretched out neck is a classic sign. Some asthmatic cats just wheeze. Asthma is typically treated with inhaled medciine like Flovent but sometimes pills or steroids are used. One good web site to learn about feline asthma is http://www.fritzthebrave.com/ If that link doesn't work, try the FB page or the archived page.

 
As for needing to get away to recharge - that makes perfect sense to me.  I have done that more times than I can remember.   In fact, introverts by definition recharge and get their energy from within while extroverts are energized by other people. 

I'm a really complicated introvert

My co-worker is an introvert, too, but she's just on the borderline. She's happy going to bars and parties and doing social things. Me? Social events that involves large groups people and noise and action are way too overstimulating for me.

Sometimes just being at work and being around my co-worker and the two guys who are extroverts is extremely draining.

 

 

[NewYork1303]

The cats are a lot more comfortable now. They are all zoomies and purring now. Angua is enjoying torturing the dogs next door by standing in the window and staring at them, stretching, and walking away. 

 

[tallyollyopia]

 
I doubt it. It's the middle of winter here and we just had a nor'easter earlier this week. I'm really hoping Emma isn't starting to develop asthma

  I know asthma is treatable since my previous cat had it and took Flovent daily. I just want a break from having a pet with a chronic health issue. Does that seem selfish?

Every pet I've ever owned has had at least one health issue that needed ongoing treatment.

I'm not feeling social today so I snuck away for an early lunch without my co-worker

Sometimes I just want to be alone so I can recharge and have energy to finish the rest of my day. A lot of people don't understand that

I have a very low people-tolerance meter myself. (My job, working with the public, is very draining.) It's hard to get people to understand that alone  isn't the same as lonely. (I've had that problem with my family in that regard.)

Just wanted to thank folks for the condolences. My brother-in-law has been gone for a week as of a half hour ago. My sister picked up his cremains yesterday, which has made her feel a little bit better. Still trying to process it all myself. She'll be having a life celebration in a couple of weeks.

Kinda cranky today. Day job getting to me a lot. Have a headache. Worried about the future. Just a lot on my mind.

On the plus side, Maple's blood work from her vet appointment on Tuesday was great. BUN was a tad high but everything else was good. Was very happy about that.

Of course  you're cranky! January isn't being kind to you and is an amorphous concept with no rear end to kick to make yourself feel better! There's nothing wrong with being cranky occasionally, just try not to drown in it. (Words of wisdom.)

 
The cats are a lot more comfortable now. They are all zoomies and purring now. Angua is enjoying torturing the dogs next door by standing in the window and staring at them, stretching, and walking away. 

Okay, I've got a funny story to tell. Last night AWM and SD were arguing about how much he's been pushing his body since his surgery. (They were seated by the stove, smoking at the time.) AWM shouted, "Well, it's not like I can sit on you!" Princess jumped up on SD's lap, chirped at everyone (she's always squeaked instead of meowing), and then went into the marshmallow position, purring. 

 I couldn't stop laughing!

 

[LTS3]

 
I have a very low people-tolerance meter myself. (My job, working with the public, is very draining.) It's hard to get people to understand that alone  isn't the same as lonely. (I've had that problem with my family in that regard.)

Yes! Wanting to be alone is not the same as being lonely

It's not the same as being anti-social either. I can deal with people, it just has to be on my terms and when it gets too much I need to escape to somewhere quiet. Or I just tune people out if I can't go somewhere quiet. Some people who describe themselves as introverts don't even understand.

 

[donutte]

Got a reply to a job I applied for yesterday. This is the point where I always panic. It's like I'm afraid I might get the job (yeah, you read that right). Also afraid for so many other things (like losing my health insurance) since this is a contract-to-hire position. Buy boy, does it pay a lot, and I am in the interesting position of having both BA and QA experience, which they want. I really want to get out of my current job, though.

I know, this is just a phone call at this point, but so many things going through my mind with it. I am such a creature of habit, and I've been at my company for 12+ years.

 

[foxxycat]

So understand your fear Donutte. It's hard to pick a path. On one hand you want to stick with what you know but on the other hand you get aggravated and want to try something more stimulating or maybe just a change in scenery. Can you just talk to them to find out more details or are they looking for you to decide ASAP?!

Someone mentioned being alone and lonely as different=as I raise my hand=I too don't deal well with strangers. I have no clue why. As a girl I HATED new things. If we went on a field trip I spent most of my time scared I would screw up or not do something right...or not understand what was spoken to me since my hearing problems made it hard to hear women talking. 
 

As far as people-I know when I visit people I often just want to talk about something for a very short time then move on to something. The other thing is I have a hard time sitting still in other people's house. I rather be outside moving around or working on something together. And when I need to get away I do understand the tuning out people. I don't care for parties but concerts are ok. Music playing is ok. Talking. um. NO. But I can type on here for hours or text on fAcebook...Ihave no clue why. I just hate verbal face to face. Maybe because I have trouble hearing so when people write I can reread it if I miss details. When something is speaking there is no rewind button which many people get angry when I ask them to repeat because I zoned out...

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Secret Feral Shelter is built and in place!  From the front and sides, it looks like a small talbe for a patio with a fitted tablecloth.  It is 6" out from the wall, and that gives Little Bit plenty of room to slip inside, where his snuggly bed awaits.  I took pictures of the entire process.  Tomorrow I'll upload them from the camera and share.  MAYBE Sunday.

 

[artiemom]

 
Secret Feral Shelter is built and in place!  From the front and sides, it looks like a small talbe for a patio with a fitted tablecloth.  It is 6" out from the wall, and that gives Little Bit plenty of room to slip inside, where his snuggly bed awaits.  I took pictures of the entire process.  Tomorrow I'll upload them from the camera and share.  MAYBE Sunday.

so happy to hear this!!! happy dance.. need to see these pictures.. and Little Bit...

and HeKitty...

 
Yes! Wanting to be alone is not the same as being lonely

It's not the same as being anti-social either. I can deal with people, it just has to be on my terms and when it gets too much I need to escape to somewhere quiet. Or I just tune people out if I can't go somewhere quiet. Some people who describe themselves as introverts don't even understand.

Oh my, I am the same way...   There is a big difference between wanting to be alone and being lonely.. 

You can be alone and lonely at the same time, but you can also 'want to be alone' and not lonely..

I always ate my lunch by myself, when I was working. I needed my 'down' time/quiet time..... no interruptions, no social engagements.. I was labeled as being anti-social.. and not a 'team' player because of it.. Seriously, I can do without the chit chat, which usually turns into gossip and stories.. that I can do without.. and the game playing.... I could never do that and could never tolerate that..I would rather be alone..

Yes, I get lonely a lot...I have Church and the humane society/rescue when I am..I try to keep myself busy with constructive things.... I want to be involved with people who have the same interests as myself.. people who care about each other without being phony or doing it just for show.. Believe me, I have had too much of that, in my life...I have been like this my life.. Perhaps it is from being and only child, with a mother who was over protective of me... long story, TMI...

 

[Alicia88]

 
I have a very low people-tolerance meter myself. (My job, working with the public, is very draining.) It's hard to get people to understand that alone  isn't the same as lonely. (I've had that problem with my family in that regard.)

Of course  you're cranky! January isn't being kind to you and is an amorphous concept with no rear end to kick to make yourself feel better! There's nothing wrong with being cranky occasionally, just try not to drown in it. (Words of wisdom.)

Okay, I've got a funny story to tell. Last night AWM and SD were arguing about how much he's been pushing his body since his surgery. (They were seated by the stove, smoking at the time.) AWM shouted, "Well, it's not like I can sit on you!" Princess jumped up on SD's lap, chirped at everyone (she's always squeaked instead of meowing), and then went into the marshmallow position, purring. 

 I couldn't stop laughing!

AWM can't sit on him, but Princess sure can!  LOL

Earlier, I walked into the bedroom and Mickey was laying on the bed, just chilling.  So I asked him, "Did Daddy brush you yet?"  And he immediately rolled over onto his back like, "Nope, but you can and make sure you get the tummy."  He absolutely loves being brushed with this new brush we got.  The old one, he just kinda tolerated.  And started trying to walk away.

I treated myself to a bunch of new makeup.  Wal*Mart has a lot of the Physician's Formula on clearance for $5.  I've used some of their stuff before but it's usually so expensive!  I haven't gotten it in years.  But I couldn't resist that price and I'm about to start a new job where appearance counts.

 

[tallyollyopia]

 
Yes! Wanting to be alone is not the same as being lonely

It's not the same as being anti-social either. I can deal with people, it just has to be on my terms and when it gets too much I need to escape to somewhere quiet. Or I just tune people out if I can't go somewhere quiet. Some people who describe themselves as introverts don't even understand.

I've noticed that most people who describe themselves as introverts really aren't. It's hard in my family though--I'm the only one who has  to have alone time. There was this one time I was sitting on the couch with DD as he watched TV and I read a book (I'm a voracious reader), and I  thought were having a nice quiet moment until he suddenly turned to me and said, "Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Is that why you're not saying anything?" 

Got a reply to a job I applied for yesterday. This is the point where I always panic. It's like I'm afraid I might get the job (yeah, you read that right). Also afraid for so many other things (like losing my health insurance) since this is a contract-to-hire position. Buy boy, does it pay a lot, and I am in the interesting position of having both BA and QA experience, which they want. I really want to get out of my current job, though.

I know, this is just a phone call at this point, but so many things going through my mind with it. I am such a creature of habit, and I've been at my company for 12+ years.

You know, I'm the same way and someone gave me some advice (that helped a lot) that I'm going to share. I was told that, about an hour before the interview, to eat something that made me feel mellow. (Chocolate, ice cream, chocolate ice cream--just to give some suggestions.) It really does work--but don't forget to brush your teeth first, especially  if you eat something highly aromatic.

 
So understand your fear Donutte. It's hard to pick a path. On one hand you want to stick with what you know but on the other hand you get aggravated and want to try something more stimulating or maybe just a change in scenery. Can you just talk to them to find out more details or are they looking for you to decide ASAP?!

Someone mentioned being alone and lonely as different=as I raise my hand=I too don't deal well with strangers. I have no clue why. As a girl I HATED new things. If we went on a field trip I spent most of my time scared I would screw up or not do something right...or not understand what was spoken to me since my hearing problems made it hard to hear women talking. 
 

As far as people-I know when I visit people I often just want to talk about something for a very short time then move on to something. The other thing is I have a hard time sitting still in other people's house. I rather be outside moving around or working on something together. And when I need to get away I do understand the tuning out people. I don't care for parties but concerts are ok. Music playing is ok. Talking. um. NO. But I can type on here for hours or text on fAcebook...Ihave no clue why. I just hate verbal face to face. Maybe because I have trouble hearing so when people write I can reread it if I miss details. When something is speaking there is no rewind button which many people get angry when I ask them to repeat because I zoned out...

Yeah, I've never understood that. It's like they're giving every bit of their attention every moment. 

 
Yes! Wanting to be alone is not the same as being lonely

It's not the same as being anti-social either. I can deal with people, it just has to be on my terms and when it gets too much I need to escape to somewhere quiet. Or I just tune people out if I can't go somewhere quiet. Some people who describe themselves as introverts don't even understand.

That's one of the hard things about my job--there's nowhere I can go. I have to be in the store, ready to deal with customers, every minute I'm on the clock. And my family (especially RB) doesn't understand that when I get home I need some quiet downtime.

Got a reply to a job I applied for yesterday. This is the point where I always panic. It's like I'm afraid I might get the job (yeah, you read that right). Also afraid for so many other things (like losing my health insurance) since this is a contract-to-hire position. Buy boy, does it pay a lot, and I am in the interesting position of having both BA and QA experience, which they want. I really want to get out of my current job, though.

I know, this is just a phone call at this point, but so many things going through my mind with it. I am such a creature of habit, and I've been at my company for 12+ years.

 

 
Secret Feral Shelter is built and in place!  From the front and sides, it looks like a small talbe for a patio with a fitted tablecloth.  It is 6" out from the wall, and that gives Little Bit plenty of room to slip inside, where his snuggly bed awaits.  I took pictures of the entire process.  Tomorrow I'll upload them from the camera and share.  MAYBE Sunday.

 Good for you! 

 
so happy to hear this!!! happy dance.. need to see these pictures.. and Little Bit...

and HeKitty...

Oh my, I am the same way...   There is a big difference between wanting to be alone and being lonely.. 

You can be alone and lonely at the same time, but you can also 'want to be alone' and not lonely..

I always ate my lunch by myself, when I was working. I needed my 'down' time/quiet time..... no interruptions, no social engagements.. I was labeled as being anti-social.. and not a 'team' player because of it.. Seriously, I can do without the chit chat, which usually turns into gossip and stories.. that I can do without.. and the game playing.... I could never do that and could never tolerate that..I would rather be alone..

Yes, I get lonely a lot...I have Church and the humane society/rescue when I am..I try to keep myself busy with constructive things.... I want to be involved with people who have the same interests as myself.. people who care about each other without being phony or doing it just for show.. Believe me, I have had too much of that, in my life...I have been like this my life.. Perhaps it is from being and only child, with a mother who was over protective of me... long story, TMI...

Nah. I'm the same way, and I'm the eldest of three (or four depending on how you look at it). I think it's inherent. 

 
AWM can't sit on him, but Princess sure can!  LOL

Earlier, I walked into the bedroom and Mickey was laying on the bed, just chilling.  So I asked him, "Did Daddy brush you yet?"  And he immediately rolled over onto his back like, "Nope, but you can and make sure you get the tummy."  He absolutely loves being brushed with this new brush we got.  The old one, he just kinda tolerated.  And started trying to walk away.

I treated myself to a bunch of new makeup.  Wal*Mart has a lot of the Physician's Formula on clearance for $5.  I've used some of their stuff before but it's usually so expensive!  I haven't gotten it in years.  But I couldn't resist that price and I'm about to start a new job where appearance counts.

Nothing wrong with treating yourself from time to time.

 

[NewYork1303]

Our new washer and dryer are here which means that the cats are locked in their room. It is so nice that they now have a room of their own that they can be closed into as needed. 

 

[tallyollyopia]

And for those of you who are waiting for it, here's the next part of Magic School and Egg. (I made this an interlude, and not a chapter, because there's just not enough here for a full chapter, but it is  the entire interlude.)

Interlude

Zachi watched the three teachers in front of him. First and foremost, was Rarta, the one in charge of the—problematical group of female potential students. The second, Shy'entha, played a much larger part in the running of the school than most of the students thought. The third was his second-in-command, Rhyssa. Shy'entha, normally pale, was crimson with rage. Rarta was weary, but holding her ground. Rhyssa was attempting to be the voice of reason.

“She should be thrown out!” snarled Shy'entha. The nyn was glaring at Rarta and the flush of rage on her cheeks gave her features an innocent, shy look.

The nyn in general, and Shy'entha in particular, resembled dolls the rich gave their children to play with. There were some who looked at them, with their delicate appearance, and believed that they were just as delicate as the toys they resembled. Zachi did not. He knew better, although whether he knew better because he had actually seen them fight, during the war, or because he was simply more open-minded than most humans he didn't know.

“She is not in her right mind,” Rarta said through clenched teeth. Her hair was gathered in a bun on the top of her head, her uniform was crisp and clean, and she was easily twice the size of the furious little nyn in front of her. Her dark eyes, large for her face, were flashing with anger and her already thin lips were pressed into near non-existence.

“We've never let that stop us before!” snarled Shy'entha.

“Now, each and every student,” said Rhyssa desperately, “needs to be evaluated on her own.”

Rhyssa was only slightly taller than Shy'entha, had a very short and squat appearance, His purple skin was lumpy over his body, giving him a slightly unfinished appearance. Zachi knew, however, that Rhyssa was deadly on the battlefield. He was unmatched with his chosen weapons, a pair of curved short swords, and all those little lumps on his body were poisonous.

“I find it interesting,” Zachi said. All three of them turned to stare at him, a habit left over from the war. “Now tell me; have you seen her egg?”

The three exchanged glances with each other, their faces reflecting puzzlement. “Well, I have,” said Shy'entha hesitantly. Her face returned to its normal porcelain state as she looked at him with her bright blue eyes that were slightly clouded by the puzzlement she felt at his question.

“Of course,” said Rarta, reflecting that same puzzlement in a very different way; her lips relaxed and her brows furrowed over her large eyes.

Rhyssa grimaced. “I have,” he admitted.

Zachi nodded. He had, of course, known the answer to the question before he had asked it. “And how did you feel looking at it?” he pressed them.

Shy'entha shivered. “It is disturbing,” she said softly.

Rarta frowned. “It makes me highly uneasy,” she said.

“I see it and I want to run,” admitted Rhyssa with a grimace.

“A very familiar feeling, isn't it?” asked Zachi. Once again he knew the answer—he just wanted them to reach the conclusion he had.

Shy'entha's eyes widened in shock. “No,” she whispered.

“Is that even possible?” asked Rhyssa, clear drops that looked similar to human sweat breaking out on his body. Zachi knew that the drops weren't sweat, but venom.

Zachi pondered the puzzle of Rarta's group. He sighed. “I don't believe we can let her leave until after the egg hatches. We may need to—deal with what hatches out of it.”

“And just where are we supposed to keep her?” asked Rarta. “If it is—that, we certainly can't let her integrate with the other potential students, or even the regular students.”

“Not that she made much of an effort to integrate,” muttered Shy'entha.

Rarta shot her a glare, but Zachi ignored the outburst. “What about the cauldron?” he asked.

Silence met his suggestion. The cauldron, so named by the students, had been created to contain students whose power was going out of control until the reason why could not only be discovered, but also negated. At the moment it was currently empty, and the current group of students were beyond the state where the cauldron would serve as a teaching aid.

“That would work,” said Shy'entha slowly.

“I don't think so,” said Rarta. “The girl's hold on sanity is far too thin; I think that putting her in isolation would be a mistake.”

“That is a good point,” said Zachi. He knew, far too well, the dangers of a human in isolation. “Is there anyone among the potential students she's close to, that can visit her?”

Rarta shook her head. “Most of the potential students can't stand her. Most of the students can't stand her,” she added. “Even I've wanted to kill her a time or two.”

Zachi frowned. Rarta had a remarkably even temperament; that was one of the reasons she was in charge of potential students. For a potential student to make even Rarta want to hurt her—something was wrong. “That is—unusual.”

Rarta nodded. “The sad thing is that the only girl that didn't hate her was the one she tried to kill.”

“Yarey?” Shy'entha's features once again suffused with rage. “She tried to kill Yarey?”

Shy'entha liking, and coming to the defense of, a student was as rare as Rarta disliking one. “You like a potential student? You?” asked Rhyssa with a frown.

“It's not just Shy'entha,” said Rarta thoughtfully. “At'ess welcomed her as she crossed the threshold.”

“What is that child?” asked Rhyssa, clearly shaken.

“A potential student,” said Zachi firmly. All three turned to look at him. “That is the important thing. Right now she is a potential student. What she was before she got here doesn't concern us. What does concern us is who she is to become.”

 

[Alicia88]

I tested out the new makeup.  Mostly cuz I randomly felt like getting all pretty and partly cuz I have ridiculously sensitive skin and if I was gonna randomly react to something in the makeup, I wanted to do it now and not on my first day at my new job.

Pretty Me.jpg

• Alicia88
• Jan 27, 2017

 

[Margret]

 

 
I have a very low people-tolerance meter myself. (My job, working with the public, is very draining.) It's hard to get people to understand that alone  isn't the same as lonely. (I've had that problem with my family in that regard.)

Yes! Wanting to be alone is not the same as being lonely

It's not the same as being anti-social either. I can deal with people, it just has to be on my terms and when it gets too much I need to escape to somewhere quiet. Or I just tune people out if I can't go somewhere quiet. Some people who describe themselves as introverts don't even understand.

I think perhaps the word you need is "solitude."  Being lonely is the pits.  But solitude, ah, that is a blessing.

Margret

 

[Margret]

Looks good from here.  How do you feel?

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

Just fine.  No adverse reactions.  My eyes are definitely not swelling shut.  I think it was a CoverGirl concealer that caused that one.  Fun times.  Usually I only have problems with cheap stuff but sometimes, even the well known brands do it.  I have to be careful with everything.  It gets old at times.