Mouse Lips!

While I was preparing diner for Gavin's father and stepmother on Boxing Day, I saw Flannel trot out of the bedroom with great purpose. It looked like he had a hairball in his mouth, then I made the connection. As he trotted past Gavin into the kitchen, I warned that Flannel had caught a mouse and that we shouldn't make any noise for fear that Flannel would drop the mouse and it would run to a place where we couldn't retrieve it before his parents arrived.

Flannel spit the mouse out under the wine rack, and the mouse proceeded to run to the food dish in the corner. How apt. Pepper joined in watching what the mouse would do next, but was really too nervous to interfere. Flannel took the mouse back into the bedroom where we managed to trap the mouse in some tupperware. Gavin took him outside and threw it into the woods by the train tracks. Poor mousie looked like he'd been trundled around in a cat's mouth for a while. I hope he got his bearings and found shelter.

Anyway, Flannel is now king of the condo, strutting around and turning his nose up at kibble. Once you've tasted mouse, you can't go back. I told my dad that Flannel was now a member of the He-Man Woman-Hater's Club and he cracked up. Flannel "Mouse Lips" Duggins rules the roost. It's a funny story, but we didn't share it at dinner.

12 of 12 December 07

5:42 AM- I get up much later than I'd planned. Pepper waits for me to go into the kitchen while Flannel stares at Gavin as he goes to take a shower.



5:59 AM- I read a cookbook while eating breakfast. I'm hosting two dinner parties within a few days of each other and I want to make sure that the menus are good, but easy for me to fix so that I'm not too cranky to enjoy my guests when they arrive.



6:20 AM- Faithful readers will remember that my office holiday dinner dance fell on the 12th last year as well. I'm taking my dress of the closet door in preparation for heading to work.



6:28 AM- During the cold weather months, I'm usually driving by the time the sun rises. Since I'm late today, I get a Maxfield Parrish style treat.



8:46 AM- My second hit of caffeine for the day. I think our coffee maker looks like a Silon. But I'm the only one in the office who does. Probably because I'm the only one who knows what a Silon is.



11:41 AM- My colleague and friend arrives at the office. She works in Connecticut and we were told that the only way she could come to the dinner dance and expense it was to have a business meeting. We pulled together a meeting in about half a day. We are just that good.



12:51 PM- We're carving out a niche in the new office real estate hierarchy. My friend helps me move chairs from empty offices into the conference room so that our cobbled together meeting attendees have a place to sit.



1:42 PM- Everything is set for the meeting; agendas at each place and supporting documents in the order in which they'll be discussed.



6:55 PM- This is the first dinner dance I've been too where the girls from my department are in attendance. We all got to sit with our boss, really close to the stage... Only three tables away from the company president! It is pathetic that I measure my value to the organization by where I'm seated at this dinner, but it really is like analyzing photographs of the Soviet May Day parade to see who's in favor and who's not. Three tables away from the prez = high visibility.



8:51 PM- My dessert this year is a little better than last; fresh fruit in whipped cream. I did not eat the chocolate cup. I'm sure it tasted like wax.



9:30 PM- The door prize winning criteria this year was to be the youngest person at the table. You can see from her youthful grin why my colleague won.

If you are new to 12 of 12 - here are the basics:

1) ALL PHOTOS MUST BE TAKEN ON THE 12TH OF EACH MONTH.

2) After you post your pictures onto a webpage of your choice (Livejournal, typepad, MySpace, Flickr, etc...) please post the TIME, LOCATION, and A SMALL COMMENT in the pic.

3) You own the rights to all of your pictures. The idea "12 of 12" is Chad Darnell's. While credit is not necessary, please don't credit someone else with the idea.

4) The original concept was at least one body part in the picture. That idea was slowly faded away. The important part is that it is 12 pics.

5) The monthly Bonus pic is a 13th picture and is optional.

6) When referring to the project, please refer to it as "12 OF 12" - not "12 ON 12."

7) Once completed, please e-mail or post the PERMALINK of the post AND the city and state or city and country of WHERE THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN. (If you are on vacation, it's where the pics were taken.)

(The permalink is the link to the ENTRY of your page. If you just send me your website, I have to track it down. By listing the permalink, it helps for people to go back and view your previous 12 of 12 entries from previous months.)

ANYONE is welcome to join in, even if you've never done it before! I hope you will.

Interviewed by the Masters: Lipton and Proust ask me 20 questions. Or Ten, In Mr. Lipton's Case

James Lipton’s Questionnaire

What is your favorite word? abundant

What is your least favorite word? no

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? American pop culture

What turns you off? required emotional involvement

What is your favorite curse word? so pedestrian, yet so useful: fuck

What sound or noise do you love? Gavin laughing

What sound or noise do you hate? rusty hinges

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Litigator (prosecution vs. defense)

What profession would you not like to do? Kindergarten teacher.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? We didn't think you would make it.

Marcel Proust’s Questionnaire

At age 20:

What is your most marked characteristic? Intelligence

What quality do you most like in a man? a sense of humor

What quality do you most like in a woman? a sense of humor

What do you value most in your friends? genuine respect and caring

What is your principal defect? intelligence

What is your favorite occupation? problem solver

What is your dream of happiness? financial independence

What to your mind would be the greatest misfortune? to subvert my true self to indulge another's view

What would you like to be? truly loved

In what country would you like to live? USA, baby! These colors don't RUN!

What is your favorite color? green

What is your favorite flower? tulip

What is your favorite bird? robin

Who are your favorite prose writers? Robert B. Parker, Walter Mosely

Who are your favoite poets? Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash

Who are your favorite fictional heroes? Howard Roark

Who are your favorite fictional heroines? Dagny Taggart

Who are your favorite composers? Cole Porter, James Brown, Johnny Mercer

Who are your favorite painters? Georgia O'Keefe, Mucha, Alberto Vargas

Who are your heroes in real life? My mother, Fred V.

Who are your favorite heroines of history? Elizabeth I

What are your favorite names? Linus, Lilly

What do you most dislike? feigning emotional connection and involvement

What historical figures do you most despise? Adolf Hitler, James Earl Ray

What event in military history do you most admire? Battle of Thermopylae

What reform do you most admire? Brown v. Board of Education

What natural gift would you most like to possess? compassion

How would you like to die? in my sleep

What is your present state of mind? half introspective, half elation

To what faults do you feel most indulgent? The ones that keep me socially disconnected

What is your motto? Do not push, do not block