Reading Week

This was a fun weekend. Not only did it mark the beginning of Reading Week, but it also meant the end of midterms! Borrowing the idea slightly from Mattson, here's a breakdown of what I did over the weekend:

Friday: Edd and I went to Greektown for some truly authentic and rare to find outside of Greece treats. We both had our standard frappes (metrio and glyco, of course) although unlike the usual hot and sunny backdrop that we associate these drinks with, it was -15 with windchill and pitch black outside. Nonetheless, we indulged our imaginations and pretended we were indeed back in the Peliponisos in August. Edward also tried loukomades for the first time, and though they were cold and lacked the usual sesame seeds, they were still pretty damn good. I think we'll be returning to Greektown more frequently as the weather improves.

Saturday: The Colonel and I went on an impromptu jaunt around the city. We ended up having to go the vet's on the spur of the moment so I hauled the poor cat around in his pet carrier in very cold weather. I got lots of curious looks from fellow subwayers, but most people exchanged smiles. It's fun to see animals in transit. It reminds me of Richard Scary's Busy Little World. Anyway, Saturday evening was Edward and Jesse's corporate company party, which was held at a 'swanky' hotel. We were definitely the youngest people at the event, and likely the most subdued. I've never seen so many thirtysomethings 'let their hair down', but it's nice to see people having a good time, at a work function no less. After all, it sounds like Filogix is a crazy company. And I'm sure I made a great impression as Jesse's boss saw me stealing wine off of someone else's table. Discretion is not my forte. There are some photos of the night here (once I manage to upload them).

Sunday: We went to Hero Burger on Queen St. West for arguably the best burgers ever. Their Soul Burger (100% vegan) is the tastiest faux-burger I have ever eaten. I hear their Signature burget is pretty good too. More strolling was done along Queen West, but it was very cold so we retreated into a nearby Chapters and I bought the funniest book on a foreigner's experience living in France: A Year in the Merde. I was literally gasping for air from laughing so hard while reading it last night. All in all, it was a lovely weekend, the kind I hope to have more often once I am free of academic obligations for good!

On a more sombre note, Greig, I'm so happy you're safe! I can't believe how absolutely terrifying and I suppose life-affirming that experience must have been. Hands down, your Valentine's Day was worse than mine.

On a more upbeat note, Leonard is coming to visit in two weeks! Huzzah! It's only been five years of broken promises in this area, Lenny. Seriously though, I am very excited for his visit. It's also going to be Canadian Music Week so we'll probably take in some shows by fledgling bands. Sweet.

Midterms

The Legislative Assembly came back this week, just as midterms began. Thanks for the good timing, Dalton. There have been some scandals and emotional confessions in the chamber as of late, and I truly find it emotionaly exhasuting. I don't know how the politicos handle the constant bombardement.

Valentine's Day was no better. In fact, it was arguably the worst day I've had in ages, although entirely unrelated to my romantic life. You know those days when you wake up and everything just goes wrong? I wanted to just crawl back into bed and sleep. Thankfully midterms and work are over for the week, and I can focus on obsessivley playing flash games, which is my compulsion du jour.

Reading Week is next week, and beyond working and catching up on school, the options are few. I have been asked to go to London, Ontario next weekend, which I am contemplating although I have a dififcult time reconciling the idea of visting the very place I mock so often for its thieved name. But an opportunity to leave the downtown core is always welcome. As much as I adore my neighbourhood, and realize how very privileged I am to live in such an incredible location, in a top-floor apartment overlooking Yorkville, the university campus and with a prime view of Toronto's only castle, it gets tiring constantly being surrounded by city noise.

Oh, one last Ontario-politics reference... this MPP is the spitting image of my dad. "Daddy, is that you?"

EDIT: Photos are actually up now.

My fantastic friend Frank (nice alliteration, if I do say so) came to Toronto for a very brief visit this past weekend. That's right, he flew from Norway to spend 4 days in Toronto. It was a blast! For those of you who may not have been keeping up, Frank was one of my closest friends back in Dunedin, NZ. So it's been a long time since we've been able to get togther a wreak havoc.

We took some photos of our escapades, and you can find them here. I recommend looking at the sets, rather than the photostream, which makes no sense at the moment.

Engagements.

So recently, a slew of people I know became engaged. My sister's friends have long been getting engaged, as they're all about 5 or so years my senior, but I thought I was still too young to be entering the stage in my life where *my* friends were starting to get married (beyond the anomaly that is Laura and Hamish).

But over the holiday break, 3 couples I know got engaged. So congratulations to (in no particular order) Kat and Mike in Auckland, Cassandra and Joe in BC, and Shannon and Greig at home. I am genuinely very thrilled for my friends that have found the people they want to spend a long-term portion of their life with. Go you guys!

However, all this amour has brought my own relationship insecurities to light. Why can't I just be *happy* in a relationship? Why am I so all over the map with what I want out of it all? Is it fair to blame my own parents' for my commitment-phobia, when I see how unhappy their marriage was? Blah. It's not my style to post about my intimate thoughts, but for once I want people to know that I am relationshiply-challenged.

Hip-hop Kitty

As I mentioned in my last post, we got a new Foster Cat. I present to you, the Colonel, in all his hip-hop badness:


In other news, life continues to be confusing, but also exciting... More perhaps on this later.

Happy New Year.

So I was on a temporary hiatus from blogging over the past few weeks. Alas, I shall now update you all as to what I did over that time:

I went to New York City with Ben to visit my friend Hayden. Had a fabulous time, staying in Brooklyn in Hayden's flat (thanks, H!) and enjoying the sights and sounds of Bushwick. Seriously, the neighbourhood we were staying in was straight out of the movies. Hasidic Jews walking around, subway tracks overhead with sparks flying onto pedestrians below, sketchy dealings occuring around us. I wanted to take a photo to capture the surreality of it all, but I decided I didn't want to have my camera stolen, as we stuck out enough in a socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhood. Here is a photo of me taking in the local culture:

We did some of the other requisite activities one does in NYC, but the throngs of tourists who had descended upon the city for the Holiday season combined with our general overall apathy towards American culture meant we weren't too fussed in doing more than eating and wandering the streets. If you wish, you may look at the photos from the trip here.

My mother also came to visit me in Toronto over the holiday. It was actually unexpected until 2 weeks before she was due to arrive, but a welcome surprise. She's the type of woman who never gets sick; I can count the number of times I've seen her sick in my lifetime on one hand. Of course she was sick the entire time she was in Toronto. As a result, we didn't really do much outside of the flat so there's not much to say about this... She is now in Greece for the next two months, visiting friends and family, so I guess better she was sick here than there.

Classes have re-started, and this semester promises to be better than the last one. The classes are more engaging, my schedule is much lighter, and the weather should only improve as we approach the summer season. I am taking a really interesting course called Aboriginals and the Environment, which I have been looking forward to for a long time. My interest in this area of Geography was piqued when I was in NZ and I saw how Maori consultation was required in order for resource consents to be granted under the Resource Management Act. Translation for non-geographers: in order for any structures to be developed or altered signficantly, consultation with local Maori is compulsory. It's about freaking time Canada incorporates indigenous beliefs and practices into its Environmental Management.

And I passed Statistics! By a lot! Hooray for me! I am so relieved that I am not mathematically retarded. This means that I'm on track to finish this summer (can you believe it's only been like... 5 years?)

On a bittersweet note, Nelly, our beloved foster cat of 7 months was finally adopted last Wednesday to a wonderful couple. I know she is going to be happy with them, and that they will give her all the cuddles and treats she deserves (well, maybe fewer treats would benefit her pudgy tummy). And I also know that her story is the entire reason we volunteer with the Annex Cat Rescue: to take cats who are homeless and match them with a loving, permanent home. But it doesn't make saying good-bye to her any easier. Bye-bye, kitty.


However, we have a new foster cat to occupy our time (and distract us from doing any actual work). His name is The Colonel, and he too was once a street cat. He is pretty awesome. His meow is the highest pitch meow I've ever heard, which is funny because he was apparently the tough leader of a group of cats, hence his name. . He is very affectionate, and likes to spoon in bed. But The Colonel's story isn't all good news. He has Feline Leukemia, which not unlike the human strain, is essentially terminal. Unlike human Leukemia, there is a vaccine for FeLv, but unfortunately street cats aren't privy to proper medical treatment in time (i.e. before they contract the illness). Despite his medical condition, he is energetic and entertaining.

A bien tot...

Why I hate Comic Sans Ms.

So I finished exams yesterday. What a relief. Though every semester is challenging in its own right, this semester may arguably have been the most taxing of all. With the over-employment, volunteering and harder-than-usual courses, I think I managed to maintain my sanity in the end. Thank you to everyone who put up with my whining and irritable moods. I love you all.

Now, some of you may not be aware, but I have a hatred toward the Comic Sans Ms font that has consumed me for some time. Now, my problem really isn't with the font itself, but rather with the gross misuse of it in inappropriate circumstances. Comic Sans was never meant to be used for business or academic works, and I would extend this idea towards the medical and hospitality industry. The use of that font on your sandwich board does not imply that an atmoshphere of fun awaits me, should I choose to enter your establishment.

So imagine how ecstatic I was to find out there was an entire website run by and for people like me, dedicated to ending the misuse of said font - Thank you to Edd for finding it! This is my new favourite site. Here is their explanation of the growing movement toward banning Comic Sans:

"In 1995 Microsoft released the font Comic Sans originally designed for comic book style talk bubbles containing informational help text. Since that time the typeface has been used in countless contexts from restaurant signage to college exams to medical information. These widespread abuses of printed type threaten to erode the very foundations upon which centuries of typographic history are built. While we recognize the font may be appropriate in a few specific instances, our position is that the only effective means of ending this epidemic of abuse is to completely ban Comic Sans."

I couldn't have said it better myself. They even have a photo gallery documenting instance of Comic Sans misuse, sent in by advocates of the movement. Here is a great example of someone carelessly using Comic Sans on a document that necessitates something more appropriate for its purpose:

I encourage anyone reading this who shares the sentiment to express it in the comments section.

I found another incredible website produced by the Planning Department for the City of Vancouver, showing the revitalization of the False Creek area between 1978 and now. Although it will probably be more impressive to those who have familiarity with the area, it will still be pretty incredible for those who do not.

...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENNY!


Love,
Krista

Can it be true?

Somebody pinch me. Earlier this year, I said I would probably struggle all semester-long with Statistics, and I'd be lucky to pass it. For you see, I am not particularly mathematically inclined, although I did end up with an A in Math 11 when forced to retake it. But overall, the trend has been that I, Krista, daughter of an engineering-educated father, was bad at maths and the plethora of number-related subjects that it spawned.

So you can imagine my shock when I unsuspectingly picked up my problem set and saw this:





Wait, look closer:




Yes, it is out of 100. I got 99% on a Statistics Assignment. All by myself. I rule!

Time to gorge myself as a reward.... If you need me, my face'll be buried in a bag of candy.

Snow, snow, go away.

Today was the first proper snowfall of the season. Ever since I started my degree in this city with its a-typical Canadian climate, I have been counting down the number of winters I would have to suffer through before I could graduate and move far away, ideally to a tropical climate. Today was no different. Maybe because I didn't grow up in a snowy climate (those of you non-Canucks may not realize, but the West Coast really is milder in comparison to the rest of the country in terms of winter weather), I am really horrible at walking on snow and ice. While I see everyone else walking briskly, heels and all, through the snowy conditions, there I am in the background, skidding and slipping all over the place, even though I am wearing my lovely Ralph Lauren winter boots. Every time I leave my flat, I pray it won't be the day I slip on the sidewalk, fall (face first, of course) and slide directly onto the adjacent road where a passsing car with worn tires and a distracted driver won't quite stop in time. This is the reason I sometimes think I am obsessive compulsive...

At least this means I will be able to go snowboarding soon!

In other non-weather related news, I am on a mini-break from mandatory school assignments until December, which I now realize from looking at the calendar, isn't really the far away after all. Still, I am excited that I will be able to focus on other pressing matters, such as my Research project, sleeping properly, working and of course, knitting warm things for this cruel winter.

I am not going home for Christmas this year. This probably isn't news to those of you who know me; I've only been home for this holiday once in 4 years, and I'm not much of a Christmas person anyway. This being said, I have been presented with a number of lovely prospects for the holiday season: my mother may stop in Toronto en route to Greece to visit her parents, and I may be going to NYC some point over the break to visit my lovely friend Hayden, who also is going to be far away from home for Christmas. We actually spent Christmas 2003 together when we couldn't afford to go home then either, so it would be cute if we repeated it this year. Regardless of what happens, I'm sure I will be happy as a clam to be with someone I love, stuffing my face with treats.

On a sidenote, I have been given a supervisory position for a (single) shift at Parliament, which totally isn't a big deal at all, but I am mildly excited since I'm the only new employee who has been given this opportunity. I think it's probably somewhat related to the factI've clocked some serious hours in the few short months I've been there.

Footprinting.

Since I last posted, I have uttered the phrase "I have NO time" countless times. As is the way every fall, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of craziness at uni, and it doesn't end until after exams are finished at Christmas. On top of this though, my job at Parliament keeps me long hours (although I am very grateful!), and volunteering for two different organizations occupies a lot of time as well.

However, as if I didn't have enough to deal with at once, I went ahead and got a second job. The title of my position is Ecological Footprint Research Assistant, and I am working under the supervision of the Director of Climate Change at the University of Toronto. My work is focusing on Radical Roots, a not-for-profit, worker-run collective located on campus who have hired me to help them minimize the environmental and social implications, or the 'ecological footprint', of their activities. Here is a brief newspaper article on the project, for those of you who are interested. Note the reference to me as the to-be-hired work-study student.

I am very excited to be involved in this project as not only is a great experience for me simply in terms of ameliorating my research skills, but also because I think it could potentially make a signficant contribution to the organization's efforts. I must also admit, it may give me a minor advantage when it comes to looking for a 'real job' after I graduate. Or at the very least, it won't hinder me.

All the work has left me with very little time to get my assignments done however, and thus my anxiety level is pretty much constantly in the high range.. I know school should be is priority number one, but I have become so apathetic in my last year that my only concern is finshing.

I took a well-earned break this weekend and went down to the Niagara region to look at the leaves, which were purported by the Weather Network to be "absolutely stunning". Perhaps they were, but the gale-force winds ripped all the leaves from the branches by the time we got down there, and I feel somewhat gipped. At least I got to go dino-golfing in Niagara Falls. On the drive back, we stopped at Balls' Falls (what a name) to admire the waterfalls and old buildings on the property. As you can see in the pictures, it was rather eerie when we were there right before sunset.

Throne Speech and Fainting.

So the Lieutant Governor of Ontario, James K. Bartleman gave his Throne Speech today at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This is a pretty big day for Provincial Politics, as it oulines the government's goals for the upcoming session. As such, there were loads of invited guests in the Chamber today; by far more people than are normally there. Anyway, my job today had me posted at the Member's Gallery West (for the Opposition and NDP's invited guests) and everything was going smoothly for the first couple hours. However, about 75 minutes into the L.G.'s speech, I started to feel nauseous. This was quickly followed by sudden and profuse sweating, particularly my face. All the while I'm wondering what the hell was happening to me. I didn't have much time to think about this, as the speech wrapped up and everyone's attention was then focused on the singer performing O Canada in the Speaker's Gallery directly above my head. Well, naturally this is the time everything started going dark for me, and I knew I was about to pass out. So with over 300 pairs of eyes, and several television cameras cast just metres above my head, I slumped to the floor and had to be taken from my post by a Security Guard to the lobby where I was instructed to drink water and stay put until I felt better.

So the judges are still out on whether I actually fainted or not, but regardless, I managed to create some excitiment on one of the most high profile days in Parliament. Apparently, it is quite common for Ushers and Pages to faint in the Chamber and happens several times each session, due to the heat and all the standing still. I am a bit nervous for the next day I work, as I'd rather not have a repeat of today (although I got to sit, paid no less, for that 10 minutes I was recovering, so that was almost worth it.

In other exciting news at work today, Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara announced his resignation Tuesday evening following an RCMP raid of his family's real estate development company and the revelation that the Liberal politician has been named in a warrant. This should be an interesting session...

Vote for Pedro

I am sick. Pathetically, horribly, unhappily ill. Fever, sinus congestion, cough, the works. I am pretty miserable about this, particularly since I wanted to get lots of work done during the week, so I would be able to enjoy the upcoming long weekend (Thanksgiving) without having to worrry about schoolwork. There is still a flicker of hope that I can persevere between now and Friday afternoon and get the majority of it out of the way.

But I'll stop whining, as the reason I got sick was totally worthwhile... I met Pedro on Saturday night! It was a completely surreal event, he was spinning at The Drink at the Guvernment. You can watch the evite here. Anyway, we spotted him standing pretty much alone in the corner of the room before he went on, so we decided to go over to him and just introduce ourselves. He was incredibly modest and down-to-earth, and even a bit flirtatious. We took a couple photos on Ben's phone but the group shot didn't turn out, although I have a really wicked one of him spinning which I will hopefully figure out how to upload. But the late night ended up taking its toll on my body, and here I am, a congested little mess. At least the weather is still lovely!

Places I've Been

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

In keeping with everyone else posting this recently, this is my contribution. It is evident that I need to get travelling again soon.

Fraternities suck.

It's nice to see my next door neighbours being recognized in the paper. All summer long, I had to listen to the incessant noise and obnoxiousness of the frats clustered around our apartment, especially since there are no less than 3 frats within 50 meters of our place. It makes no difference that we are 14 stories up; we can hear all the noise as the hot weather has necessitated windows being left open. It is beyond me, and pretty much everyone else in the world beside North Americans, as to why students opt to join these associations. I guess creating an exclusive clique is the only way some people feel any sense of self-worth.

(And stop defiling my people's alphabet with your trashy associations, god damn it!)

To every season, turn, turn, turn...

Holy crap I should start updating more frequently. The past three weeks have been a flurry of activity what with Frosh Week Leadering, classes beginning, my new job starting (which I shall return to shortly) and the whole housing issue, I haven't had the time to sit down and post. I hereby attempt to compensate with a summary of each of these events:

1) Frosh Week: Despite this being my 5th (and last year of university), I have never had the opportunity to be a Frosh Leader until this year. For those of you who have no idea what "Frosh" means, and quite frankly think it is a term for some sort of alcoholic cocktail or skin disorder, it is the "affectionate" term for newly-admitted university students. They could just as easily be called freshers, or froshies, or (can you imagine) new, students. Carrying on, each college at U of T is responsible for organizing some sort of orientation events for the week before school begins so that the kiddies may become more accustomed to the university, and immediately make the (false) association between university and fun which their many, many upcoming years at school will thus disprove. Just kidding. Or am I?

As a Frosh Leader, I was given a group of students to show around the university (and to a lesser extent, the city) and engage with in various 'fun' events, such as foxy boxing, theatre sports and my favourite part, the nighttime boat cruise in Lake Ontario. I had a blast, honestly, because Frosh Week is infinitely better when you are NOT a nervous first year who is desperate to make friends while desperately trying to not look desperate. ..

..I remember my Frosh week, and how nervous I was. As someone who had just flown across the country for school without knowing a single person in the city, let alone the school, I was coming to, I was very anxious about meeting people, which I pulled off as a sort of aloofness, otherwise known as "too-cool-for-school syndrome". Luckily, people saw through this facade and I made a load of friends early on, but not everyone is fortunate to live on campus during their first year. I hope I was able to make some sort of positive impact on my frosh. Lord knows my co-leader didn't have a clue what was happening most of the time. But that's a whole new issue.

2) Beginning o' classes: Indeed, they began yet again. This semester, among other classes, I am taking two 'technical' courses, both Geography-relevant: Introduction to GIS and a Statistics course. I hope to keep on the ball enough that when I do run into trouble with these classes, I have enough time to focus on figuring it out before deadlines. We'll see about this. I will keep you informed of my progress in Stats, bearing in mind that this is the mandatory course I dropped last fall because it sent shivers down my spine. I must successfully complete it this time however, so wish me luck!

3) New job: My position as a Legislative Student Usher at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario began. The job duties aren't exactly rocket science: make sure the rules of the House are enforced in whatever capacity necessary, maintaining acceptable visitor conduct in the galleries, and in general being a servant of the house. This sometimes entails being an abuse-receptacle for the MPPs who think they have transcended humanity and taken on divine form. Hands-down the best part of the job is the cool I.D. badge that only myself, the MPPs and a handful of other support staff have, which grants us access the the chamber floor of Parliament. I have included a photo of it at the beginning of this post. Note the word "Chamber" on my pass, further testament to my awesomness.

4) Housing issues: The most sensitive of the four issues, I would rather not get into the details of this one online. Sufficie it to say that my monthly rent will be much, much higher every month than I ever thought.

City Councilman Unearths Magical Zoning Amulet

Once again, the Onion has hit paydirt with this article. Given that the profession of 'geographer' does not actually exist, the Onion has constructed a pretty convincing argument for becoming a zoning by-lawist, or 'urban planner' if you will. My favourite part of the article is the pictures. Amulets rule.

Old job. New job.

So I officially quit my job a couple weeks ago. For those who don't know - and I must state that I did make some effort to keep the name of the company on the downlow - I worked at the Gap. Its redeeming features were its location on Queen St. West, not to mention the surprising coolness of my coworkers (which I attribute wholy to the neighbourhood), and I did put in a good year there. However, the time came to get out of a job that was destroying my soul and sense of self-worth...

...so naturally, I picked the soul-redeeming field of Provincial politics instead. As of September, I will be a peon at Queen's Park! I got the job several months back, and since then I have spent great amounts of time contemplating what, exactly, the duties of my position as a Legislative Assembly Usher entail. I know Queen's Park hosts a program where elementary school children (Grade 7, I think) are ushers for a 6-week period, but I am quite certain my job necessitates a little, although likely not much, more intellect and responsibility than that of a 12 year-old. If anyone can tell me what tasks they think my job will have me doing, I am very enthused to hear about it in the comments area.

Summer school is now officially over. I swear to god, I thought it would never end. This isn't to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the subject of the class, as World Religions is one of the more captivating fields offered at UofT (it's no neuropsychology!), but taking a condensed course during the summer months when all you really want to do is eat good food, drink cocktails and just wander the city was a real struggle. I just need to keep the steam going for another 8 months and then I'm out. Eye on the prize.

Not to mention there have been some other unexpected developments this summer which I would rather not get into in blog-form. However, suffice it to say it's hard to study when you are in the midst of readjusting your life.

Now it's just hanging out without purpose until I fly home on Monday (where rest assured, I plan to do much more slacking and lounging!). Anyone in reading this from Vancouver, I want to get together while I'm there! E-mail me.

Lists are neat.

So apparently I don't post enough. This is probably because I don't feel like I ever do anything particularly interesting to write about. But since you asked for it, here is an itemized list of what I have done lately:

- Slept a mere 45 minutes after a long night of dancing, because we had to get up and go dance some more. The second time on a boat.

- Wrote an essay that I should've spent at least a couple weeks on, in a matter of hours. For me, this is quite an accomplishment.

- Went to Welland/Niagara Falls/Niagara-on-the-Lake/Buffalo for the long weekend. Highlights include mocking the poor sod risking his life on a tight rope in Niagara Falls - no one was watching him at all - , and the constant gorgefest Ben and I partook in; the searing indigestion was completely worth it.

- Hosted a Newcastlian. One of Edd's mates, Geordie, has been visiting for a couple weeks from Gateshead so the boys have been touring around. Apparently the Ontario Science Centre sucks.

- Have *not* worked. Nearly every shift I've had for the past 3 weeks has been cut entirely. Although I enjoy not having to spend my time doing mindless tasks for hours on end, I am also devoid of monies. This is going to become increasingly problematic over the next few weeks.

- Booked my flight home to Vancouver. I arrive August 22 and depart September 2. I initially intended to stay longer but I have obligations, such as Frosh Leadering and feeding my cat, which beckon me back here sooner.

I'm sure that there is a lot more trivial stuff I have done as of late, but this, sadly, is la creme de la creme. However, there is hope, as this weekend is the Taste of the Danforth and I plan to get their asap and start ingesting as much tzatziki and pitas as possible in polite company.

Mo-lester's fun and games.

So it was my 23rd birthday the other day, and we had a bit of a party. I had a great night, and would like to thank everyone who came for making it one of the most memorable birthdays of my young life. A special thank you to the Ontario Police for turning up and threatening an $800 dollar fine for noise violation. And a big thank you to the neighbours for submitting numerous complaints to the building management, and for the subsequent half dozen apology letters I've been asked to write.

Moving swiftly along, there are some photos of the debauchery here.

I have a cat.

I have a cat. Her name is Nelly (or as I call her, Smelly Retardo) and she is cool. She was going to have kittens until the other day, when she decided that she wasn't pregnant but rather in heat. Awesome-o. Here are some pictures of my cat.