This and That

I really don't have that much to report right now, but I feel like I need to write something anyway.

Work: In keeping with the tradition of posting how busy I am at work, I'm going to say that I'm still busy at work. This has just been an exceptionally busy summer for some reason. In addition to just having a lot of projects to work on, for some reason I'm working on a lot of big, complicated, and messy projects. So at times one book project feels like three. On the bright side, I should have most of these messy projects finished over the next few weeks. That's not to say that any of the busyness will end, but at least I will be dealing with less problematic projects.

Joey the Cat: In happier news, the neighborhood kitty continues to visit me on a regular basis. He still likes to come by every evening and every morning. I usually just give him a few treats—not a full meal—and I cuddle with him and play with him. Even though I spent a some money on some cute cat toys, he seems to enjoy playing in boxes more than playing with the actual toys. I should have known better, because the cat we had used to be the same way. She didn't care for cat toys, but was happy playing with the rings that go around the spout of a milk bottle.

Even though I enjoy having Joey visit me, I'm trying to build up my willpower and trying to not let him in every time he comes over. I don't want him to get too used to coming and going whenever he wants, because when I go away on vacation he will surely be disappointed when I'm not home. So tonight I tested myself for the first time. He came by tonight around dinner time, and jumped into my patio and meowed at the screen door. I left him outside, and he continued to meow at me while I was eating. It was absolute torture and I was in agony, but eventually he gave up on trying to get inside. He didn't go away completely, though. Instead he decided to sleep on my patio chair and he has been there for the past 30 minutes. Knowing me, I will probably let him in later tonight and cuddle with him for a little while, but hopefully he learns that sometimes he has to stay out...

...and just as I'm typing this he is back at my door meowing sadly, and I'm getting weak...