First – a note. Since any future children will get Michael’s last name as I took it of my own free will and respect the consistency, the pets take my family name.

Thackery “Binx” Prince Pedro Patterson

Binx was our first joint pet. When Michael and I moved to Austin we had a friend who was very into cats and a fabulous pet owner and promoter. She encouraged us to look into pets of our own. At first I entertained the idea out of idle interest, boredom, and curiosity. I had many cats growing up, but as they were with my parents I really had minimal responsibility for them. After leaving the family black cat Luna Paprika and our gray sumo kitty Diana behind, I thought it might be a good chance to look into getting a cat all on my own. Or, ya know, with Mike. I took this task very seriously.

As the choice of pet in the past had generally been due to finding abandoned pets or hearing about abandoned pets, I vowed to find one at a shelter that actually met my needs. I wanted something around one year-old because I wanted them to have worked out some of the kitten phase and I thought it would be more helpful to go for an older animal. I wanted a cat with green eyes, honestly just because I find them pretty. And I wanted anything but a black cat. Not that I dislike black cats! I hate the old superstition that black cats are bad luck. You know, in England they used to be a sign of good luck if they crossed your path. But we Americans had to twist every British tradition once we crossed the pond it seems. However, I had owned a total of 6 black cats in my day (Bojo, Barnabas, Midnight, Buddy, Molly, Luna) and I was looking for a tortoise shell or calico if I could have my choice.

Obviously this meant that while I was spending lots of time researching multi-colored, green-eyed, 1 year-old options in private viewings at the Austin Humane Society, Michael walked into a community play room and had a black streak run across the room, up his leg, and perch on his shoulder – thus claiming his spot in our lives from that point forward. At first I was very hesitant – he was everything I didn’t want. 8 months old, yellow eyes, and black. But when the volunteers told me he was actually spoken for until closing, that sealed the deal. I wanted what I couldn’t have. So we went to Petsmart to buy essentials and came back at closing to find the the had not be claimed! As he was to be my seventh black cat I insisted on naming him Binx – from my favorite Halloween film Hocus Pocus and in honor of my late black cat whose full name was Buddy Binx Bagheera but just went by Buddy. Thackery Binx was a Salem boy that got turned into a cat by the Sanderson Sisters. Prince Pedro was his shelter name – though I think they meant to just call him Pedro but were reusing a folder for an animal named Princess and just marked out the last two ss’s before scrawling in Pedro. So he’s a good mix of my geeky love for early 90′s kids adventures, my appreciation for the fabulous black cats I’ve had in the past, the humor found in accidental royalty, and our new TexMex home. We adopted him November 2007.

Binx was an amazing first cat. He is really more like a puppy. He greets you at the door, he likes to leap up on you, and purring is as natural as breathing for him. However, because of his rambunctious behavior we soon learned he could not live alone. He would sleep above our heads and lick our hair or just jump on our faces in the middle of the night. We simply were not home enough to keep him occupied. Something had to be done!

“Dani” Daenerys Stormborn Gracey Patterson

Luckily, that’s when we found Dani! Our friend Deborah invited us to her friend April’s 4th of July party in 2008. While there we met the most adorable gray tabby known to man. Her name was Gracey from Gracey Manor – also known as Disney’s Haunted Mansion. April’s mother had found her abandoned by a church and asked April to look over her while she went out of the country on a mission trip. However, it turned out the trip was going to be extended so April and her boyfriend Jason were actually looking to find a home for her since they already had two cats. Michael of course immediately fell in love with the lovely lady. She was stunning. Crisp patterning, eyes looking like they were cosmetically lined, and oh-so dainty. After a few days of deliberation, we took the plunge.

Binx was as enamored with her as Mike was and quickly pounced on his new playmate, causing a chorus of howls from the Drama Queen. I insisted we take our time, introducing them for a few hours at a time. But once I heard her yowling in pain and rushed into the room to find Binx nowhere near her. From that point forward I considered her crying wolf and once we ignored it, she never cried again. Now they are fast friends and play wrestle often – and Binx is not always the first to instigate. She has filled out quite a bit, which is something we are working on. But she can still strike a stunning figure with her beautiful eyes and gorgeous poise. Much like her namesake – Daenerys Targaryen from the book series (and HBO show) A Song of Ice and Fire. Stormborn, the Silver Queen, Mother of Dragons, and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. However, instead of shortening her name to Dany we go with Dani since that is also the name of the little girl from Hocus Pocus. Thus she combines our love of fantasy fiction, early 90′s kids adventures, and Disney fandom. We adopted her July 2008.

Dani has been an wonderful second kitty. She gives as much as she gets with Binx and is daddy’s little girl. She often sleeps curled up in the nook of his arm. She is the first to let us know when it is mealtime, either with her plaintive little mews or by scratching (without claws) on the closest door. She has her quirks, but we cannot help but love the Princess of the house.

“Brie” Brienne of Tarth Cloe Patterson

Even with such exceptional first pets, the time can come when a couple begins to yearn for more. The companionship of a pet that can go out with you and requires a bit more responsibility. The good kind of practice two humans can use toward fostering a whelping of their own race one day. Enter Brienne – our first dog! We took the adoption of a dog very seriously. First of all because we have both had dogs growing up and realize the amount of time and energy it can take just as a kid, not to mention when you don’t have your parents to count on to pick up your slack. Also having rescued two animals already, we wanted to make sure we were ready to give a puppy their forever home. We met a few, including some adorable Aussie mixes named Phoenix and Abigail and some German Shepherd/Chow mixes at a local dog event called Dogtoberfest. But we just didn’t feel an immediate connection. At the same event we met Hadley, whose sister we were interested in at Lifelong Friends. She was exceptionally playful, but again – not love at first sight like with Binx and Dani. So we held off and went to the shelter’s location the next day to meet Cloe.

I’ll be completely honest – a big part of our choice was fairly shallow. Cloe was downright gorgeous. She had the longer haired look of an Australian Shepherd mix and the merle coloring I adore. But beyond that she is also a very sweet, mellow, and intuitive dog. We could tell right away that with time and training, her natural intelligence would make her a great pup to have. She’s also a good size – medium so she’s bigger than our kitties and good to go running with but not so large she’d take over the house. We took ten minutes to discuss and decided right away to apply for her alone. Even after checking in, it took a good week to hear back. Now, I cannot even imagine the life of a shelter volunteer. Understaffed, overworked, and the messes they have to put up with and hear about are enough to make your skin crawl. The lovely lady that came out to check our fence told us enough horror stories to make me question humanity, but eventually they accepted our offer and our six month old Aussie was ready for pickup. We named her after another Game of Thrones character – Brienne the Maid of Tarth. Brienne the Beauty, the girl from the Sapphire Isle, of the Rainbow Guard. Brie for short.

We went out to Lago Vista on Friday right after work and filled out the paperwork. After a half an hour the foster mom showed up with our little lady and we had the pass off. She was very nervous in the car. She tends to shake a lot during new experiences. But she sat right beside me and hunkered down. At home we took our time getting her acquainted with the crate while we cooked dinner. Then we let her roam the downstairs and finally let the cats emerge from our bedroom. So far they are still sizing each other up, but we have insured that the cats get the upstairs to themselves if they need to get away and they seem pleased enough with that. The most interaction has taken place between Brie and Binx and that’s only lead to a few growls, yips, and kitty swipes with claws in. It’s just going to take time and patience, but we are already grateful. She is extremely attentive, does not bark, she appears already potty trained, and enjoys her crate. You cannot really ask for much more from a puppy!

*****

So, we definitely feel like blessed pet parents. We were lucky enough to stumble upon Binx, be introduced to Dani, and take our time to find Brie. All in all we could not be happier. I’m sure I’ll talk about these cuties more in the future, but feel free to keep an eye on their photo gallery on our family website.

3. Radio – The Morning X on 101X with Jason and Deb
I think a lot of folks overlook the ability to listen to their favorite radio stations away from a radio thanks to the internet. I was originally trying to find the morning show I used to listen to in Raleigh. But then I realized it made a lot more sense to listen to my favorite show in Austin on a regular basis. It really adds to the enjoyment when you can keep up with the antics, events, and contests the deejays are doing. I encourage you to follow your own local shows if you get the chance or if you’d like to keep up with Austin I do love Jason and Deb!

2. TV/Movies – Listen To a Movie .com
I discovered this website thanks to some co-workers. They have a pretty extensive database of television and movies and it gives you the ability to have audio on without any distracting or incriminating video playing. My office is pretty laid back and actually lets us have video playing as long as it’s minimized, but this option also helps bandwidth and just makes things easier.

1. Music – Pandora and Grooveshark
Everyone knows Pandora and it’s pretty great. I’d say especially for parties, but it’s also beneficial to listen to the stations you create for an extended period of time, like at work, because it gives you a chance to really fine tune your playlists. However, sometimes I want to hear something specific – not just songs like the song I want to hear. And that’s where Grooveshark comes in. It’s a database of songs shared by others and I can almost always find anything I’m looking for. Then you can save your favorite playlists and share them with others. I’ve got every Glee song ever stored together if you need. ;D

What about you guys? Any audio sites you’d recommend?

“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”
- Steve Prefontaine

3. Hipstamatic ($1.99)
The Hipstamatic for iPhone is an application that brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras from the past. With a swipe of the finger, change your lens, flash, or film. Each adds a unique touch to your HipstaPrint, so mix and match to find your favorite combination!

This app is a lot of fun! However, it does require quite a bit of planning. You have to choose the film, flash, and camera before you take your shot. It can become a game of trial and error, which doesn’t always make it the best app to use on the go unless you’re in the mood for a grab bag of results.

2. Instagram (FREE)
It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented. Oh yeah, did we mention it’s free?

Instagram is a very close call with Camera+ and the fact that it’s free would push it over the edge except that there are not as many options for filters and they all include their individual borders. But the options you have are very pretty and it also has incredibly easy ways to share the images on networking sites.

1. Camera+ ($0.99)
With Camera+ you’re able to use your iPhone to shoot the best photos you possibly can. Packed with several useful features that your standard camera app doesn’t include, your pics will improve the instant you start using Camera+.

I honestly feel like this is the Photoshop app with a focus and easier to use with more options. There are lots of fun filters and you can even crop photos and add a border of your choosing. You can also adjust the photos based on the type of “scene” – portrait, shaded, food, etc. And it’s all done after you take the photo and then you can save different edits easily. Then it’s super simple to share on the major networking sites with location tags. This is my go to app when I’m on the go and want to be able to come back later to edit.

What about you? Got any fun iPhone Camera Apps you would recommend?

3) Star Trek: Tik Tok

My friend Youngkin just pointed me this way after I expressed my recent obsession with the Glee cover of  this song. Tuesday mornings are slow and empty for us at work so the neighboring team plays music over speakers for all the rows to enjoy. I managed to get this song played at work by requesting Tik Tok by Kedollarsignha – spelled just like that. The “DJ” was so amused he allowed it, haha. But this video takes the song to a totally new, epic level of awesome.

2) Drunken Slurring Dwarf Sings ‘Cutie Patootie’

No, this is not her real voice. But it’s ridiculously funny, whereas the original is kind of scary… you can see it here. I always call our cats Cutie Patooties, so Mike and I are often reduced to performing renditions of this masterpiece around the house.

1) The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

Lynn recently linked this video on her Twitter and apparently it’s been around for over a month. I’m late to the party, but likely the rowdiest attendee at this point. I have been quoting this video for days now, I cannot stop. Randall is hilarious and you should treat yourself to some of his other published works as well.

And now it’s your turn! Contact me with some of your favorite funny YouTube videos!

I’ve always had a somewhat unhealthy relationship with food. My family shows love through food and Mike and I enjoy trying new places and succumbing to cravings without always considering the consequences. So on Valentine’s Day I started a 24-day challenge which started with a 10 day cleanse. I had to cut carbs, fried foods, and alcohol while taking supplements. Then, due to some food allergy concerns, we decided I’d avoid dairy and wheat as well, to see how I reacted.

Bad news is I still haven’t lost a pound. Good news is I have felt a lot better in a lot of ways. I have more energy in general and I haven’t been suffering from stomach pains nearly as much. I was really surprised to find how easy it has been to deny cravings and bad habits. I survived a chocolate-filled holiday, three work team events, two birthday celebrations, and an Oscar party without a drink or dessert. I’ve managed to order healthy meals while out and genuinely enjoy them as much if not more than alternatives. My friends have been very supportive for the most part, especially Michael. Even though he’s not doing the challenge himself, he’s helped prepare dinners we can share and hasn’t complained at all about the expensive health food I’ve been buying.

I fell off the wagon a bit yesterday and today. Mike cooked a steak and I found it hard to resist some red wine. Then it’s been such a long few weeks, especially today, so I had a light beer. While I feel a little bad to cheat so close to the end, I find myself believing this has become more a lifestyle change than I really expected. I think I figured I’d give this challenge a shot and then likely just go back to most of my regular ways. But now I’d honestly prefer to stick to eating the way I have. I’ve kicked the cravings, so it makes sense to stick with it.

I will be indulging a bit this coming week since we’re going to New York to visit friends and we have a lot of restaurants we want to try. I’m also spending the weekend after in Rochester with a friend who makes the most amazing breads and desserts. But I think I’m in the best state I could be for such a trip – my appetite is curbed and I don’t finish a meal thinking about what I’ll be eating for the next.

Of course, I’ve still got a long way to go. I believe my main problem is finding the balance between diet and exercise. I’ll do really good at one without picking up the slack with the other. And I never stick to either long enough to see results. Having a sedentary desk job and coming home to another computer certainly doesn’t help matters. So the next goal is to combine strengths in both areas and see what that does.

Either way, it’s been a really good experience. An underlying motivation to all this has been to see how well I can handle a set, specialized diet since that will be an important factor when Mike and I start building a family. Obviously that will come with its own incentives for healthy living, but it feels good to know I can do it when I put my mind to it. Of course, the immediate goal would still be to fit in my jeans, though. Priorities, people!

I have kept an online journal for almost a decade. However, it’s generally been filled with the mundane, petty, and mindless. I am not promising any more than that, honestly – but I am looking to make another go at blogging. I have found inspiration in friends like Kendra, Jennifer, Lynn, and Kimlee and 3 months after leaving Livejournal, I think I have found a home on WordPress. I tell ya, it’s hard to choose a place to jot down your thoughts these days. Between WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Posterous.. it was difficult to decide, but ultimately I like the options here and the opportunity for growth.

My main goal is for this to be a way for me to keep in touch with important folks, keep a chronicle, and maybe share some interesting schtuff. Most folks that wind up here know who I am, but the quick intro would be that I am a 28-year-old gamer, writer, and designer. My day job is in customer service, though, which I enjoy immensely. I live with my fella, Michael, and two cats, Binx and Dani, in Austin, TX. I’m a fan of wine, food, video games, film, animation, and books – I’ll likely review and share bits from all of the above.

Lookin’ forward to it!