moominmuppet

So, I've gotten some more time to hang out with the new housemate, Mark, and everything seems to be going well. This morning we hung out together and talked about politics and life, watched the news and ranted together about the idiocy of the administration (always a good bonding activity), and we did get it officially settled that we both believe housemates are absolutely no-go territory romantically, so it's good to have that clear and on-the-table. We seem to be flowing pretty easily into most aspects of household routine, which is excellent, all 'round.

Balder has totally fallen in love with Mark. Balder's our new temporary cat from

zeldajean, and he's still getting used to our crazy household. He's one of the most affectionate cats I've ever met (doesn't take any time to warm up to new people at all -- and as folks who've visited know, my house isn't exactly the bastion of reclusive cats, so that's really saying something), but he's easily scared away from affection-sources by all the other affection-hogs that surround them.

I've been working with him some, but I'm pretty much surrounded by a mobile zoo wherever I go in the apartment, so that can be hard to do for long. I was talking to Mark about him last night, when he peeked out, and I suggested Mark (who was within reach) give him some encouraging lovin', since I'm trying to gradually get him comfortable being around the other animals. Balder took to Mark immediately and intensely, and Mark ended up going into his room to read, shooing all the other pets out, and giving Balder some quality time. Incredibly effective. Maybe almost too effective *grin*. When Mark let him out and closed the door so he could go to sleep, Balder sat outside his door and cried until I came and got him and brought him over to the couch with me. Something about all the extra attention must've gotten him into a good state, though, because he sat with me on the couch for a rather extended period of time getting scritches while in very close proximity to both dogs and three of the four other cats. That's a huge accomplishment for him, and I'm very psyched!

I've also decided I need someone to get a picture of just how crowded the couch gets at times. It's truly ridiculous -- last night, for example, Balder was on the arm of the couch, X was behind my head on the back of the couch, the ottoman was pulled up against the couch so I could stretch out my legs, and both dogs were on that, and Fatty Lumpkin and Morph were hanging out on the other arm of the couch (then Mushroom showed up and got all crotchety with someone, and everything rearranged). Sometimes I forget that although everyone's a bit taken aback by the centrality of the pets in the household (Mark was commenting on how amusing it was to just watch them all interact while I was gone), I do see it from a slightly more intense perspective, since the majority of pets gravitate to my location most of the time. This isn't a complaint -- I'm very happy with the situation. It just occurs to me every so often that I'm quite attached to a particularly ridiculous way of living. A friend who was in town recently jokingly referred to me as the Beastmaster. My inner ten-year-old couldn't have been happier with that comparison.