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the Rite of Aging…early

~ Navigating Rheumatoid Arthritis through Beauty and Nail Art

the Rite of Aging…early

Tag Archives: cats

S is for Sunsilk, the Senseless Cat

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by MonicawithRA in Animal Sciences

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Tags

Blogging A to Z, blogging community, cats, pets

I usually call Sunsilk stupid because she’s not all that smart. But, honestly, she is not stupid; she is very very intelligent. She is better trained than all the other pets put together.

 

Photo 15Unfortunately for her, she is devoid of common sense. For example, she eats anything she can get her little paws on. I raised my trashcans because she loved going through it at night and bringing me presents. She even eats Affie’s fur after I shave her!

 

IMG_0272Oh, you may say, “that is not common sense, Monica! That is just a cat being a cat!” Wait…there’s more. Sunsilk also sticks her whiskers in electrical outlets. I am not sure she does this on purpose but whenever she’s near a wall her whiskers make their way into an socket.

 

IMG_1011
sunsilk

But, here’s the real story.

A few years ago, I got home and I called her. She was on the upper level nosing around when she heard me. The upper floor has a balcony that looks over the living area on the main one.

 

IMG-20120717-00038She excitedly looked through the bars and tried to jump off the balcony to get to me! The stairs were right next to her but no, it made more sense to jump 20 feet!

Thankfully, I managed to distract her while simultaneously running upstairs to grab her so she didn’t fall to her death. And, yes, she would have fallen to her death. Sunsilk is half Abyssinian and was cursed with the too tall back legs which make her rather unbalanced. She knocks over lamps and Christmas trees and sometimes just trips over her own four feet.

 

IMG_0274But, I guess, I still love her.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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#AtoZChallenge – M is for Marmalade!

18 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art

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Tags

Blogging A to Z, blogging community, cats, pets

Ah, my first pet. Ever. Well, not exactly. I always had fish and hermit crabs but those don’t really count, do they?

We adopted Marmalade just a week after my mother passed away. I was 12 and a half years old and my father was speaking to our veterinarian (later, my boss) who mentioned they had a hospital cat looking for adoption. My dad thought it was time to give me a little more responsibility and get my first pet.

 

Marmalade ProfessionalActually, one of the veterinary technicians I worked with owned Marmalade (known as Samantha (ick!)) but she moved away to an apartment where she couldn’t keep pets. This all happened around the same time my mother passed away so it really was fate that Marmalade landed in our lives.

 

She is 15 years old and grumpy. I’d chock that up to age except that she was always grumpy. She was a 10 year old cat in a 1 year old’s body. She pretended she disliked everyone but really was a social, loving, maternal cat.

Sleeping

20150704_211120It’s weird to think she could have been someone else’s cat. I don’t think she would have been as wonderful with someone else. When I take a nap, she protects me by screaming and slapping anyone who tries to wake me up. When I’m ill she does not leave my side. She actually follows me around at my heels, which may or may not be a good thing as I constantly trip over her. If I’m bed-ridden she either sleeps by my side or stands guard outside my door. If I move or yawn she comes running to me, sits on my lap and stares at me to make sure I’m not on Death’s door. She won’t eat or drink or use the litter box until I’m asleep and immediately returns so I don’t miss her.

 

But, of course, when I am a-ok all she wants is her fishes!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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#AtoZChallenge – K is for Kittehs, Kneading, and Kindness…Or Not…

17 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art

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Blogging A to Z, blogging community, cats, pets

Do your cats knead? My cats knead a lot.

 

DSCF2607There are many beliefs about why they do this.

  1. Cats knead their mother’s belly to start milk flow during nursing age. They remember this and years later, in adulthood, show the same affection towards me.
  2. They are just looking for a more comfortable spot. After all, they knead blankets and pillows just as much as they push and pull me.
  3. And, my personal favorite (according to the Oatmeal’s book “How to Tell if your Cat is Plotting to Kill You), “[your] cat is actually checking your internal organs for weaknesses.”

Honestly, all three ideas are extremely possible.

 

Which do you think it is? Do you have any other speculations? Let me know in the comments!

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Kitteh Full Nail Stamping and Water Decals Nail Art

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Community, Nail Art

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Barry M, born pretty stamping plate, Born Pretty Store, cats, Essie, Konad, Nail Art, Pueen Cosmetics, stamping decals, water decals

Every time I stamp I want to try the decal thing. As I ready myself to try it: set up my table, pool out the polishes, line up my dotting tools and grab my stampers; I shrug off the feeling and finish with a traditional stamp. 

Well…alright. Next time?

 

There are quite a few challenges taking place in the Instagram world right now and I am picking and choosing which to participate in.

Today’s/yesterday’s (by the time I snapped photos, uploaded and edited them I was too exhausted for words) look combines the #dreamnailschallenge (cats) and #glamnailschallenge (paws).

While it is not too surprising I own multiple paw print and feline stamps, which I accumulated randomly over the last few years, it is surprising how difficult it was to choose the final products.

In the end, I decided on a mix of easy water decals and my Born Pretty Store (BPS) kitty plate. I filled in they eyes with a teal as Sunsilk’s pupils are rimmed with that exact color. This is my first first attempt at full nail stamping decals and I have to say they came out pretty well! Execution could use a little work; I was so upset when I used too much acetone during cleanup and dissolved portions of the decal! No matter, I just need more practice!

 

kitteh decals inspiration

I hope you like it!

 

Kitteh Stamping and Water Decals Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Barry M Chai

Stamping: BPS plate BP-59, Essie Naughty Nautical, Konad Special Polish Black

Water Decals (paws): Pueen Cosmetics

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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A Little Too Circular

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Rheumatoid Arthritis

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

cats, flare, rheumatoid arthritis

Last night, my dad ended up in hospital. His blood pressure sky-rocketed to 212/85. He has a tendency to hypertension but his pressure has never been that high before.

Yesterday, I had a doctor’s appointment. We decided that since I will be in the area for a few more months we should try sitting for the monthly Orencia infusion in lieu of the weekly subcutaneous injections. Well, first off: Yay. I am not starting from scratch which means I should not feel worse for the time being. Still sucks though. I would hope by now my medications would stabilize.

Even though this is not the worst news it still worries my father. I think that worry translated into his famous “cluster” headaches which in turn caused his pressure to hit the roof.

I work in the medical profession as a veterinary technician. I keep my head during an emergency and I stay calm until I need to worry. Honestly, the first thing that RA has taught me: there is no such thing as a personal emergency anymore.

How long am I going to stay out? Do I have food and water? Do I have enough to take my medications at the right time? Do I have the most important medications in case I need to take them away from home? Do I have my insurance cards? Do I have my list of medications?

I never know what course my autoimmune will take or how quickly so I need to be prepared at all times.

I kept a cool head. My dad knew to take his blood pressure medication immediately so thankfully his pressure began to fall. I stayed with him while he was in emergency which was thankfully only a few hours while they ran blood tests.

When I got home, I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up this morning, my knees and hips were more stiff than usual and I had more difficulty completing my normal tasks.

I have to cook the dog veggies today so in order to do that, I need to rest up. Also, if I want to be functional tomorrow, I need to take it easy today and not exacerbate my current condition.

Round and round it goes, my health takes a dip so my dad’s takes a dip which means mine will inevitably take a dip as well.

Just for Fun: Marmalade exhibits a circle!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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Nail Art: Puzzle…Question Mark? Butter London, SpaRitual

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art, Reviews

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bundle Monster, butter London, cats, SpaRitual, stamping

When I am not feeling well, my cats, Marmalade and Sunsilk, keep close eyes on me. Sunsilk, in particular, has attached herself to me like a barnacle on the underside of a ship. As I was going through my nail polish stash I realized I have two great nail colors that would totally capture her.

I used two coats of butter London “Scuppered” as my base color. The formula on this is absolutely heavenly. I can paint three stripes on each nail without streaking, pooling, or general messiness. Unlike the company’s other glitters, this polish is very sheer. It may be that the glitter is not densely packed. There is small green and pink glitter, a gold shimmer and larger circular green glitter flecks.

butter London “Scuppered”

Everything down to the glitter itself reminds me of Sunsilk. The gold color in her fur, the pink of her nose and the green is exactly the color of her eyes. And when I realized I had a dark brown the exact same color as hers I was so pleased.

For the stamping, I used SpaRitual “Howl” and Bundle Monsters plate “BM-319”.

SpaRitual “Howl” over butter London “Scuppered”

I don’t know whether it is a random quirk but whenever Sunsilk refuses to listen to me, her tail forms a question mark. She is an intelligent cat who plays dumb and pretends that she does not understand what I am saying. She is very sly but without her I do not know how I could manage everything that is happening.

Hi, I’m Monica and I have RA.

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