Niffer's Pidgets and Other Fine Stuff

Laundry Day

2005-10-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

The kitties are so helpful.

No, really. I mean that. From installing dishwashers and setting the table to reading the paper or changing Checkers' stinky abode, these kitties know how to earn their keep.

And each one has his own strengths, and -- well, let's face it -- weaknesses. Thankfully, they are well in tune with who is good at what, and who should just go off and find a catnip sock to kill.

Blusie is the self-proclaimed laundry helper. He screams at the top of his lungs to let us know when the washer and dryer are running - I guess to make sure we know they're doing their jobs. And he's OH SO HELPFUL when it comes time to fold, and heaven forbid if anyone else (furry) should try to help.

Spot check inspection on the drying phase. (Neiko looks drunk here. He probably is.)

Blusie: "You're not seriously considering messing with my dryer duties..."

Neiko tries to lend his expertise. (Blusie: "That's right. Just a little closer.")

"Closer..."

(Insert head chewing photo here. This is a family site. I will show crotches but I won't advocate violence. On a positive note, the head chewing ended in licks and kisses.)

The victor. Blusie keeps his title. Thank God we have him to help with the laundry. I'm not sure what Mat would do if his undies weren't carpeted with cat fur.

Oh yeah...pidgets

2005-07-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

When I woke up this morning to the sound of Checkers' guinea pig version of a cock's crow, I knew right away that this was no ordinary get-the-hell-out-of-bed-and-feed-me-bitch wake up call.

The usual pidget pweet-pweets were more like the squeals of an angry boar on helium. It went something like this: "PWEEEEET-pweet-pweet-pweet, PWEEEEET-PWEEEET pweet pweet pweet pweet, emm-oh-eff-oh!"

Translation: "You started this blog FOR pidgets and ABOUT pidgets, and you've turned it into OTHER FINE STUFF -- namely bad, fat kitties, you crazy em-effer!"

I listened intently to his concerns over some fresh romaine and apple cores, and after a brief impromptu photo shoot, we settled on pidget crotches for one whole week:

Lucky you, Internet.

One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war

2005-07-07T09:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, I don't mean to dwell... I know we've been through this before... and he's been here for a few months now... but I still can't get over these thumbs.

Now, one could argue that Neiko has some kind of evolutionary advantage over his brothers, but so far this freakish super power has only led to better kitty toy control and superior grip on the scratching posts.

That, and a bit of an attitude.

He has developed a charming cockiness that says to Buddy and Blue, "that's right, bitches. I've got thumbs. We don't know what it means yet, but I'm pretty sure that makes me cuter than you."

Once more, with feeling:

A Tribute to Oliver (the cat, not the musical)

2005-06-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

Our friends in Whitby (that's where all the cool people live) recently lost their kitty Oliver to cancer.

Oli was a sweet boy who new how to pose slim despite his girth. Sometimes.

His sister Cindy sure misses him during naptime.

But I hear she's really come out of her shell as the queen of the kingdom.

(That girl's got spunk in her trunk!)

We miss you Oliver. Hope the couches are soft and the catnip fresh. Keep a spot warm for your mom - you can sit on her lap when she gets there.

"No heaven will not ever heaven be
unless my cats are there to welcome me."
- Anon.

Herm

2005-06-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

This is Hermie. He belongs to our friend Shawnwall in Pittsburgh. We went to visit them on the May two-four weekend (Canuck speak for the holiday of Queen Victoria's birthday, held every year around May 24th).

As you can see, Hermie's a beautiful boy. What makes him super special is that despite missing a back leg and suffering considerable brain damage from a car accident (pre-Shawnwall), Hermie can do what any cat can do, even better.

In short, he's a spaz. I almost brought him home in my suitcase. But Neiko would've had to defend his Freaky-boy title and I'm not sure I could witness tripod attempt to usurp ol' thumby's throne in a cage match. Who would I cheer for?

Besides, you can collect only so many grey cats before people think you're crazy.

All kitties and no peace make niffer something something

2005-05-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

"Go crazy? Don't mind if I do!" -- Homer J. Simpson

G 'n R and Zinger just left for their real home. I miss them, but they're only 10 minutes away. And quite frankly, everyone was going a little stir crazy. George started picking on Zinger, which is very unusual. Buddy starting fighting with Blue, which happens, well, a lot.

The following photo is dedicated to my friend, the President of the Itty Bitty Titty Club.

Mat and I are off to the Pitt to visit our friend Shawnwall. We'll have some great photos of Hermie the 3-legged cat when we return.

Double the kitties, double the fun

2005-05-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

To folks like Kristine who keep coming back, even though I'm been a bad blogger, today you shall be rewarded with NEW kitties! (To see them asap, scroll down to skip this long bit.)

Back in University and College, I used to do a lot of pet/house sitting. And by a lot, I mean that sometimes I went for months living at someone else's house.

Thankfully, at the time I only had Buddy, who sometimes came with me. When he didn't, he stayed with my incredibly understanding roommate and friend. She and Budzo were tight, and still are even though she now lives in Toronto. Whenever she comes to visit, he stands on his tippy toes and gets the "shakey tail of happiness". I'm not sure if other cats do this, but it's pretty funny to watch. It's like he can't contain his excitment and it escapes out his tail.

All of this pet/house sitting pretty much put me through school. (Well, not really, but it certainly helped.) I also met some great people through it all who are still good friends to this day. I think it boils down to this: Love of critters = the great equalizer.

My favourite critters of all time were five kitties named George, Roo, Zinger, Stray Kitty and Secundo. They also happened to have the best people in the world who became very good friends of mine and Mat's.

A few years ago they moved to Pittsburgh. Mat and I visited the kitties and their people a few times. Over the years, Stray Kitty found a new home and, sadly, Secundo went missing. Then they moved to Kansas City and we waited for the day when they'd return to London.

Well, they're back! Not only that, but George, Roo and Zinger are in our spare bedroom chillin' because their house isn't quite ready.

Allow me to introduce Sir George:

And Miss Roo:

You'll never see Zingy -- he's afraid of the camera. Actually, he's afraid of just about everything but me, Mat and his parents.

So if you've wondered where I've been these past couple of weeks, I'VE BEEN SCOOPING CAT LITTER EVERY WAKING MOMENT OF EVERY DAY. (JessicaRabbit, how on earth do you do it?)

But I wouldn't have it any other way. My kitties are home!

Project Dishwasher

2005-04-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

It's been sometime since I've posted new kitty photos. I have a good reason: last week we installed a new (our first!) dishwasher. My dad did most of the work. He's a great dad. Single T helped him out. I stood by and took photos.

As with any project at the Minty Manor, seemingly simple home improvements turn ugly as our 113-year-old house decides to remind us what "113-year-old" really means.

So a one-day project turned into three, but we have a pretty new set of pipes under the sink and some pretty mfing clean dishes.

However, we have a sad Blusie. He had made the dishwasher into his own personal kitty throne:

Then Neiko joined him:

Then His Girthiness kicked them off:

However, being the control freak that he is, Buddy resumed lording over the project:

(Just checking to make sure Mat's work is sound):

And finally, the mourning of the dishwasher:

They sat there for days...

Survey Says: Kitty Crotches

2005-04-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

I've recently discovered that folks really seem to like the kitty crotch shots. Makes sense, really. Who doesn't like a kitty crotch shot?

Budzo's a little more modest than Blue. Here he's chosen to bury the crotch in the pillow. Slightly more provocative than Blusie's full frontal, don't you think?

Now we just have to teach Neiko how to strike a pose.

Neiko the Freak-Toed

2005-04-12T22:32:00.000-04:00

Kalki, Deleted, JessicaRabbit and Torrie: I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. But seriously, Neiko has finally stopped moving.

We've had the little man just over a week now. Everyone is getting along REALLY well. Much better than I expected.

However, we're having a little trouble explaining to him that Checkers is not breakfast.

But other than that, we love him to death. He is the perfect kitty to complete the herd. I've compiled the top ten reasons why Neiko will stay:

10. I can now say I own a skinny cat (for the meantime, anyway).

9. He gets the kitty crazies in the morning instead of the evening, which really balances out the kitty crazy schedule.

8. He has extra toes.

7. He chirps like a bird - very talkative little man; even more than Blusie if that's possible.

6. He attacks scratching posts as if they were the devil. I've had to buy a new one already.

5. The moment he was introduced to the full house, he went straight for the two kitty toy baskets and proceeded to pull out EVERY SINGLE TOY. I swear, there are about 48 cat toys littering the floor right now.

4. He affectionately head-butts EVERYTHING, including the other cats' asses, my face, usually in that order...

3. Buddy and Blue actually let him do this (see number 4).

2. He's more flexible than gumby. And when he stretches, you'd think he'd lost all movement below the waist (if I can ever capture this on film, you'll be the first to see).

And the number one reason Neiko is now a part of our family:

1. Yeah, I mentioned he has extra toes, but I think I forgot to point out that THEY'RE OPPOSABLE THUMBS.

Finding Nilbo

2005-04-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

I know you're all dying for photos of Neiko, but Mr. Ants in His Pants won't still long enough.

The other reason I'm not posting a new kitty photo just yet is that I wanted to show and tell of my first experience of 'meeting someone from the blogosphere' in the flesh.

On Thursday night, single T and I caught up with Nils Ling, aka Nilbo, at the McManus Theatre here in London, where he performed his one-man show "The Truth About Daughters".

What a great show. Hilarious, poignant and truly entertaining. I found myself smiling like a proud mom (that would be a kitty-mom; I have no other experience on which to draw) all the way through the show. "He's really funny!" I said as I kept nudging single T. Of course, Mat was beaming as the proud mentor who had successfully turned his wife into a geek. I not only had my own blog, I was now meeting fellow bloggers in the flesh.

Catching up with Nilbo after the show:

me: "Great show! I'm [state your name], otherwise known as the niffer."

[big handshake and hug ensues; thanks for coming, great to meet you, etc.]

Nilbo to Mat: "You must be the super hot husband she writes about."

[Mat looking a little shocked, 'wow, someone actually reads her blog! And I really don't think I'm hot.']

Nilbo to me: "I guess you couldn't bring the fat cat. He probably wouldn't fit in the car seat."

I'm not sure what I enjoyed more, the show or our brief hello afterwards. It's such a strange but gratifying experience to meet a friend from the Internet. It's almost like having an imaginary friend that only you can see, then suddenly, one day, everyone can see him too. I hope to meet more of you someday soon.

It was great meeting you Nilbo. Good luck with the rest of your performances, and please tell your daughter that I wish her new kitty well.

I can hardly contain myself

2005-04-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight at 8:30 I will pick up our new kitty, Neiko. I'm dying in anticipation.

This all came on quite suddenly last Friday. It started when I saw the cutest little pup in the paper. Even though we're not ready for a dog (need to fence the backyard) I had to check out the little guy on the web.

That's when I discovered ARF Ontario and a little feller named Reiko.

I convinced Single T that we need this cat, that Blusie needs this cat, because this cat desperately needs other kitties the way Blusie does. See, the problem is that Buddy and Blue get along, but they don't love each other like kitties should. And that makes Blusie sad.

Reiko (pron. Rico) doesn't look at all Spanish, so we're going to change his name to Neiko (like the singer only spelled differently). We visited him yesterday and he is just the sweetest thing. AND HE HAS OPPOSABLE THUMBS. I kid you not. Don't worry; photos to come.

Wish us luck! Budzo's going to hate my guts.

Crotcherific

2005-03-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some old disks of photos today. Actually, for the last several days. Single t takes MANY photos and it's tough to get through them all, but boy is it ever fun. There's a sale on at Black's, which ends today: 5x7s for a buck! I'm such a bargin shopper that I just had to go through EVERY SINGLE CD to find some 5x7 worthy pics.

Things started out pretty fun but soon turned tedious. I found no fewer than 203 shots illustrating Mat's computer obsession (his iMac, his iPod, his desktop, his workstation), more Mat self portraits than I could possibly count, and even some pics of his wounded finger (I can't even remember what happened to him, but it looked sore).

Now, I'm not calling Mat, nor his choice of subjects, tedious. It's just that the sheer volume was overwhelming. DAYS. I'm telling you, it took me DAYS.

What made it all worthwhile was finding shots like this:

Blusie, you are crotcherific.

And in the end I found 41 photos that were 5x7 worthy. Blusie's crotch was not one of them. I don't want him to be embarassed when company comes over and sees his crotch on the wall.

GASP. This post is not about critters.

2005-03-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

Kalki tagged me with this loverly line of questioning. Kalki, no need to apologize. These are actually interesting questions. And ohmygod I love books. I have a nasty habit of buying more books than I can possibly read in my lifetime just so I can look at them on the shelf. How sad is this: the highlight of last Wednesday was receiving my very own copy of the Canadian Press style guide from a co-worker.

1. What book would I like to be?
Something really funny, interesting and hard to put down. Perhaps Lady Cottington's Book of Pressed Fairies.

2. Have I ever had a crush on a fictional character?
I still, to this day and despite been married to a super hot husband, dream about Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables showing up at my door to romance the pants off me.

3. What is the last book I bought?
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

4. What is the last book I read?
See above. I need to read it again. I love when people make science fun, interesting, and hard to put down. Maybe that's the book I would like to be.

5. What book am I currently reading?
America the Book: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by the writers of the Daily Show.

6. What 5 books would I take with me if I were stranded on a desert island?

Ok, five is not enough. I don't even have scary books on this list and I love scary. But I will obey the rule of five.

1. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst (I have a thing for kid lit and I've read this very short story about 50 times. I cry every time.)
2. Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
3. Beloved by Toni Morrison
4. A giant Far Side compendium
5. "A vegetarian's guide to surviving on a desert island" if it exists. I don't want to live on bugs and critters. If it doesn't exist, then Bill Bryson's book. I'm telling you, that is one great read.

7. What 3 people am I going to tag with these questions and why?

Single T or Moy - because he's my super hot husband and reads some pretty interesting shit.
AW or the King of Kerwood - why? Well, wouldn't you want to know what the Kings are reading these days?
Shawn Wall - because he's just the coolest person from the Pitt that I know.

Thank you, Kalki. This was fun! Ok, before I go, one gratuitous critter shot:

I call this "Death from above 2005".

A Day in the Life (warning: gratuitous kitty shots ahead)

2005-03-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I think I like kitties so much because deep down, I wish I was one. It's a good life being a kitty; at least it is in our house. Take Buddy:

He eats all day and the fatter he gets (18.5 lbs of solid muscle) the more we love him and refer to him affectionately as Chunky Trunks.

He gets to sleep all day with his favourite toys and pretty much has the spare bed all to himself (unless Blue decides to go undercover).

When he needs to clean his dirty, girthy, hulking mass he just rolls over and with a lick lick here and a lick lick there, he's ready for a night on the town. (Oh, and he's so fat that he can't clean his pucker, BUT WE STILL LOVE HIM. If Mat didn't clean his ass, he'd be OUT.)

"Strrrrretch. Ahhh." That culminates his cardiovascular activity for the day.

Ok, when I spread my legs like that, people call me a slut.

I've pampered waaaay too many critters in this life -- I'd better be a kitty and not a cockroach in the next.

Girth

2005-03-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is Buddy's good side.

He's girthy. Mat was kind and framed the photo so it's not so obvious that Buddy got back. That's love.

Budzo Fat-Fat Meets the Hooded Blue

2005-03-05T20:43:00.000-05:00

Blusie is the cutest kitty EVER.

Single T found him sleeping in the hood of his winter coat.

Then Buddy found him sleeping in the hood of Single T's coat.

I'm pretty sure Budzo was heard uttering: "What the fudge are you doing, weirdo?"

To which Blusie replied, "prrrrrip?" without even lifting a third eyelid.

Undercover kitty

2005-02-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

Mat often walks through the house rapping -- in the cutest, geekiest sort of way -- "Where my kitties at? Where my kitties at?" They usually come running. Buddy and Blue LOVE their dad.

A couple of weeks ago, Blusie wasn't 'around'. These guys are always 'around', like dogs, and if they're not on you or close by, then you know they're in one of a limited number of favourite spots OR accidently locked in a closet (I'm looking at YOU, Budzo).

So I'm walking around the house saying, "Where my kitties at?" and Buddy's like, "Dude, I'm right here." But no Blusie.

After searching closets and calling his name and getting a little worried, I finally discover him on the spare bed under the covers. We've had this cat for 3 years, and never once did he show signs of being a closet undercover kitty.

When he's there, he thinks he's invisible. And when he's discovered, he makes this little chirping sound as if to say, "Alright, you caught me." And he just stays there. I guess he's found the only place where the Porkchop can't find him and beat him up. Hopefully Budzo never gets wise because Blusie deserves a little peace now and then.

Scaredy Pig

2005-02-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

Although he's come a long way since the day we brought him home from the Humane Society, The Checkerboard is still a big chicken. This makes him ideal for photographing though, because he remains perfectly still knowing that the slightest movement could alert his predators to his secret location (in this case, the couch).

Single T thinks Checkers hates his guts. While it's true that Checkers is more of a scaredy pig when Mat's around, I don't think he should take it personally. After all, it could have been a man that threw the pidget out in the snow, and maybe Checks just can't trust any men yet.

We love you no matter what, guinea pidge! But yo, Checkers: RELAX, guy.

Cupboard Kitty

2005-02-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

"What the fudge?"

That was what single T exclaimed as he opened the cupboard door to get a glass on the weekend. I had inadvertently closed the doors on this fluffy blue kitty. Blusie (or Blusifer when he's being shifty) has a tendency to hide in places where he doesn't belong. This place, though, was a first.

He's also a contortionist kitty; turning himself into a pretzel in order to fit into the smallest spaces. It's pretty cool, but also A LITTLE BIT ANNOYING when you just want to shut the f n door.

Kitty toy graveyard

2005-02-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

Oh the carnage!

Killer has taken to depositing his 'catches' on the spare bed. This is also the place where he makes for darn sure they're good and dead.

Budzo's jaunty chapeau

2005-01-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

Poor Bud.

This is the fat one. AKA Chunky Trunks, Tubzo, Buddy Budinski, Porkchop, Jean Pierre, Welshy (that one's new after a Futurama episode last night), Sir Chunks-a-lot, Fatty bum guy, Chunkers, Swedish Pucker (I'll have to explain that one some other day)... I could go on for-eva.

18.5 pounds of solid muscle. Yeah right. His ears were cold so Single T lent him his jaunty chapeau. Notice the look of disgust.

We love to make fun of him because although he's the coolest cat who thinks he's a dog 95% of the time, the other 5% he's a jerkface and deserves to be the object of our humour.

Shuffle, Monkey, Shuffle!

2005-01-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

MacWorld yesterday. Hmn. The only reason I really know about it is because my husband is a MacAddict, or as we like to say around the house, if his iMac had the proper 'port', he wouldn't be needin' a wife. (Maybe that's what all those conservative anti-gay marriage nimrods are worried about; that the so-called slippery slope will result people like Single T marrying their computers. How dare he threaten the sanctity of marriage with his computer-love!)

I DO love my Mac, don't get me wrong. I just don't get all hot and bothered about the stuff like does. He REALLY wants to get me an iPod Shuffle, so that I can come out of the dark ages and trade in my usual walk-to-work companion, the Discman. But, you know, I'm ok with listening to the same CD 1.5x a day. At least for now. I'd much rather spend the $129 (+tax) on 30 Williams' Apple Carmel Waffles.

Nap time

2005-01-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Ahh. Back from Florida. Back to work. I'm so ready for a nap.

I've never taken two whole weeks off. It was a real treat. But it's also making it very difficult to get back into the swing of things. To make it easier, I was off from Wednesday to Wednesday inclusive, which means that on either side of my two-week holiday, I have short work weeks. Brilliant.

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything, which probably renders this site null and void in Blogdom. But I'm finding it much more fun to read other people's stuff than to update my own. I'm going to give it one last kick at the can. I don't want to lose geek status in the eyes of my husband (the ubergeek, not to mention a monkey. Dance monkey, dance!)

All I really want to talk about is Checkers

2004-12-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

I'm a horrible blogger.

Mat keeps bugging me to get something new up here. But with my life so consumed with work these days, together with my fear of being Dooced by posting about work, I don't have much else on my mind.

I'm pretty sure it's less than interesting to know the following:
1. Checkers is now using his poo-box as a bed.
2. Buddy (the fat one) loves to stare at the Checkerboard as if he's a meal.
3. Blusie is the most annoying fucking cat at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

But there you have it, Pester McGee. Now get off my back, Monkey!

Pyjama Weekend

2004-11-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

Someone commented this morning that it was such a beatiful weekend. I replied that I didn't really notice because I'd spent most of it in my PJs. I mean, I got stuff done, but I did most of it, ready for it? in my PJs.

The only time I had to make myself presentable was Saturday and Sunday night. It seemed such a waste to get out of my PJs for a few hours, but then again, it kept me from feeling like a total sloth.

I have to admit, I'm really missing my PJs at the moment. I can hear them calling to me now.

It's not that I have nothing to say

2004-11-24T06:51:00.001-05:00

Being new to this blogging stuff, I'm not very good at making frequent posts yet. Yesterday, a co-worker alerted me that there was no new news about Checkers. Well, Checkers is doing fine; great in fact. With his cage eye-level to the kitties (Miss Piggy's cage was up on a table) he's able to chat with the fat one (Buddy) and they get along famously. When I walk in the room, Checks runs into his cardboard Pepsi house and Buddy chirps and walks up to me as if to say, "we weren't talking about you. Honest."

In other news, our street has just finished being 'refinished' - new sewers, gutters, etc. And while this is great news, I'm super upset at the fact they've put down new sod so close to winter. Of course, we received a letter back in the summer that if the sod dies, it's our problem. But it didn't say anything about the sod dying due to frost or the fact that we can't water it as 'they've' instructed, because we've all put our garden hoses away for the winter BECAUSE IT'S COLD OUTSIDE.

Ok, I know that talk of sod is not very exciting, but I wanted to document my disdain, so that when our grass is dead in the spring I can pull up this post and say I TOLD YOU SO.

It's amazing how your interests shift when you're a homeowner. Pigs and sod. Tomorrow: caulking.

Checkers!

2004-11-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to introduce Mr. S. Checkers MacHoy. The S stands for Sage, which is the name given to him by the Humane Society. It's an ok name, but he's definitely more of a Checkers. Although he kinda looks like the Phantom of the Opera in this photo.

By the way, some jerk tossed him out in the snow last March. We've promised Checkers that won't happen again. No matter how bad he stinks.

It's going to be a bad day

2004-11-17T06:44:00.000-05:00

The day and I have gotten off on the wrong foot.

When I woke up this morning, there was no newspaper. It might not seem like a big deal, but the newspaper is part of my routine. And not just my routine, but the kitties' routine, too. They each take a turn sitting in my lap, perched over one arm while I take a full freakin hour to get through the paper.

I forgot that this might happen today - there has been talk of our local paper going on strike. And there they go. Grrr. Argh.

Good news is that Checkers is now giggling like a happy pig when you walk by his cage. And he christened me last night with boy pig pee (smells a lot worse than girl pig pee). Gross, I know, but I was beaming to know that he was so relaxed that he felt it was ok to pee on his new friend.

"Finally," he says...

2004-11-15T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start a blog for a couple of reasons.
I'm now thoroughly addicted to Dooce.com. I hovered for years, checking in maybe once a month, if that; usually when Mat prompted me about a post he thought I'd enjoy. Now I visit every day, sometimes more than once. So I thought it might be fun to start one of my own.
The kick in the pants I needed came last Thursday when we brought home our new family member, Mr. S. Checkers MacHoy. I wanted to tell the world about this wonderful new pig (or pidget, as my friend Nicci calls them); how he goes catatonic when you pick him up, how Mat and I shit our pants last night when he emerged from the safety of his box WHILE WE WERE IN THE ROOM. He's a cute little pidget, and I think after all he's been through, he deserves a place in cyberspace.