Journal Entries
Sept 10?!!?!
Posted Aug 15, 2006
That means it's been nearly a year since I wrote anything here. I wonder if anyone will notice this??
I've gone off and been ufaithful over in LiveJurnal. mainly cos I just got fed up to the bak teeth with the trolling, flaming and pettyness that was going on in HooToo. I've missed my freinds - of course I have. But not being ale to go into a thread without encountering come part of some war or other just put me off.
Then my computer started to play up, And then I ended up moving out of Dundee and into Glasgow - where my actual RL social life picked up and prevented me from spending evenings trawling through hootoo.
Bad girl that I am.
Zantic 
Discuss this Journal entry [13]
Latest reply: Aug 15, 2006
The new goddess
Posted Sep 10, 2005
So Mittinz has well settled into the parental units home. She is spoilt rotten and hsa them wrapped round her little paws. Me too - I haven't been home so often since my first year at Uni!
She's a beautiful little tortie with little white mittens on her front paws and long white stockings on her rear paws - and a lovely white bib. She spoils it with a half-white muzzle which makes her look like she has a grubby nose!
Meanwhile I seem to have climed out of the latest depression and am getting on quite well with the thesis. I wasn't on-line at all for the last two months or so - this included checking e-mail, so I've missed an awful lot of what was going on in the real (and virtual) world. But now I'm back and kicking bottom.
In this time it seems that my dear AR1 has learned to walk again (although she seems to be beratiung herself for getting in and out of her chair like an old woman - but if it works keep it up I say.)
Also working part time as a temp secretary and working on my thesis has improved my typing no end! 
Anyhow, back to thesis / lurking hootoo.
Zantic
Discuss this Journal entry [6]
Latest reply: Sep 10, 2005
The Sooty Tree
Posted Jun 15, 2005
Unsurprisingly, Sooty, Mistress of the Home and Goddess of the family was put to sleep at eleven o'Clock on Monday morning. She's had another retinal haemorrhage on Saturday and then we think a brain Haemorrhage on Sunday night. I thought she'd slip off on Sunday night but instead I took her to the vet on Monday morning. 
So we are now expecting a black tree to grow in our back garden, with furry black leaves and fangs and claws as fruit. She was put under her favorite hiding tree.
However, not all is as black as it seems - inb facts its tiny and black and white and will be ready for it's new home by the end of the week (we hope) A little kitten from the cattery where Sooty was staying was in need of a home. I was umming and ahing about giving her to my father for fathers day - from the 'rents reactions on Monday I wasn't sure if they wanted another cat. But I just got a phone call consisting of a list of possible names for my new kitten. (the words evil and smelly came up a lot) I think Zoe is a nice name. As is Cleo. We'll see.
Nothing can replace Sooty. But I defy anyone to be sad in the presence of a five week old kitten who is black with a white belly and paws!
Zantic
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Latest reply: Jun 15, 2005
Sooty , ruler of the home fires.
Posted Jun 7, 2005
She is a very small, kitten-like black cat 
who is something like 18 years old. We don't know exactly how old she is a she was rescued by a freid of mine from the roof of Waverly Station in edinburgh. I say rescued - He was working in the rail offices that look over the roof and had been feeding her bits and pieces for about a year when one day she walked in through the window, across his keyboard and fell asleep in his lap. He took her home and she was queen. Two years or so later she came to grace our family as my freind could no longer keep her.
She was a wild little thing when she arrived - she spent most of the time outside, bullying the local cats and dogs and ruling the area. She wouldn't cuddle and ran away if you approached her or even walked near her too loudly. But as she got older she got much softer and cuddlier and in all ways, finally becoming mistress of the home and family. Her word is law. She's never been ill - until recently -
Sooty has had a couple of eye bleeds and her kidneys and liver are playing. But yesterday I got a call from the cattery she is holidaying while the folks are in Greece. they told me of their suspicions that she had gone blind - a common complication for old cats who have kidney function problems. They asked if they could take her to the vet (OF COURSE!) So they got back to me today. She isn't totally blind - but can probably only see shados (bilateral dilation in both eyes with little reaction) and a retinal bleed which is more worrysome. She got a couple of shots and seems happy and relaxed and eating well and stuff. But I wonder how long she's going to last.
She's just a cat, but when you consider she's been part of our lives for something like 12 years without one day of sickness - she really isn't immortal is she?
I'm going to go see her on Saturday - I was planning to go check the folks place anyway (OH, OK, I'm having a party at theirs before they come back!)I promised the 'rents I wouldn't spring her from cat hotle before they come back - if only cos I can't stay with her to get her to take her pills But I need to go give her a cuddle - for my sake if nothing else...
Zantic
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Latest reply: Jun 7, 2005
Happy ending.
Posted Apr 1, 2005
Well, yesterday I decided to fix the car myself (or at least I let my Dad guilt me into trying to fix the car myself)
Diagnosis - the collar attaching the lead to the positive battery terminal had snapped.
I'd managed to get the car started with the aid of a plastic clamp. So off I go to Halfords to get the neccessary part. Didn't look quite right but it was the only one they had. I cut off the old collar assembly and fixed the new one. Uh oh, thought I - that dangling wire wouldn't happen to be the immobelizer lead would it? Of course it was...silly me. Right - can I get something that would attach it to the new collar? Could I bu**ery.
'Oh no, that's a Nissan only part. You'll have to go to the dealer'
Who of course was shut by then. I gave up for the night - I'd walked so far my nice comfy hikers bootes had given me blisters. the car was stranded outside Halfords - but if I needed a tow the next morning it was better there where the RAC would come for it than outside my door, where they wouldn't.
So, first thing this morning I phoned up the Nissan dealers and their answer was.
'Sorry, we don't sell that as an individual part - you have to get a whole new assembly fitted. Tis will cost you about £90. We can't come get your car either so that'll be £50 for the tow'
Ulp says I and phoned the bank of Parental Units. Then I phoned the RAC for a tow. Nice RAC (OK, so I was being rather unpleasant about them on Wednesday night), nice RAC bloke took one look and said -
'I can do a temporary repair that will probably fix it for good'
And promptly did so. Me standing by saying - I coulda done that if I had a vice, a hammer and a selection of bolts in the back of my car.
Thank you lovely RAC man. I didn't even get your name. But be sure I shall fill in the response card you gave me and give you a glowing report.
Other good news this morning is that there was actually a selection of decent jobs that I qualify for at the jobcenter. Maybe one of them will actually employ me! 
Zantic
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Apr 1, 2005
Zantic - Who is this woman??
Researcher U147883
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