::alio!::

yes, we have no bananas, today - but we do have a cat

The fruit delivery at the office happens on Mondays at around midday.

This means that the only bananas available on Mondays are either so ripe you can't pick them up without squishing them, or so green that if you eat them you get that horrid feeling on your teeth - you know the feeling I'm talking about.

This messes with my routine. On workdays I generally eat a banana at around 10:45 AM. It's my break.

On Mondays, however, I can't have that break.

I especially felt the need for my dose of calming potassium this morning.

It's hurricane season in Newfoundland, and, while most of the hurricanes large enough to have names never hit our coastline, we get every other huge storm coming the other way.

So when I say it was actually pouring rain this morning, I want you to understand that this means a solid sheet of rain, so thick you can't see across the road, blowing sideways and UP at you at 100 km/h. This also means that all (and I mean ALL) the streets are flooded by at least 2 inches of water, some of the sidewalks as well, and that anything tipping downhill (read: everything, because this is St. John's) becomes a waterfall. There is this flight of stairs called McMurdo's Lane, that I take every morning in to work. It's like an alleyway between buildings, except it's just stairs. Anyway, I felt like I was walking down a raging river this morning. It was kind of cool. It almost made me feel better after having gotten completely splashed not once but twice by passing motorists who take sadistic pleasure in plowing through the ponds on the road right next to pedestrians.

Staying dry is not an option.

As a result, I dripped all the way to the elevator, left a puddle in the elevator, and then another puddle in the bathroom stall as I changed my pants and shoes. I had to wring my socks and pants out in the toilet, and they gave up more water to the porcelain gods than I normally do after my second cup of coffee.

I need a set of rain pants and wellies STAT. On the plus side, my coat only started to let water in when I arrived at my office, so that's a good thing. Nonetheless, you'd think I'd have been better prepared this fall, considering that I went through the same ordeal last year. But no.

In other news, we have a surprise house guest at our place. Yesterday afternoon, N came knocking at my door, looking at little confused. I opened up the screen door and a tiny black kitten zoomed in. N apologized, saying the cat had done the same thing to them, and had been removed with difficulty, as they had to go out (his parents are visiting from Moscow and so they're a little busy right now).

Andy and I put up signs and left a message with Heavenly Creatures, but until we hear back from someone, we've got a very friendly kitten staying with us. She's about six months old, black, with a white chest and white socks (ankle socks, if you want to get specific). She has an RC cat collar and a Hello Kitty tag, but whatever was on the tag has since worn off. If you look at the impressions left by somebody's ball point on the tag it looks like her name is Oalu or something like that.

She spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening asleep on my lap or playing with Andy, but then spent the majority of the night jumping on our faces in bed, until Andy locked her in my office, which is where she's been staying when we're not home.

I hope someone calls us soon. We're really not set up to be keeping a cat, and I don't want to just let her out and have her find her own way home, because we live on a busy street and there is a huge storm going on around us. I would feel so guilty if something happened to her, so I'd rather hand her over to her owners in person, or at least to some foster parents for her. I would love to have her stay, because she's so sweet, but Andy is very allergic and we have discovered that I am even a little allergic to her so it wouldn't be pleasant for any of us.

***EDIT***11:24 AM***

The cat's owner was on his way to the SPCA when he saw our street signs. He called and left a message, and Andy called him back on a break from class. He lives in the next block, next to our landlord, so he just walked over and picked her up. Apparently this is the second time Mrs. Oreo, as is her name, has escaped. He assured Andy that an engraved name tag was on order.

Posted by Ally at September 14, 2009 09:45 AM