Kitten assimilation has begun

We’ve named her Pixel. It seems appropriate – she’s already thinking with Portals:

And helping me blog:

And appreciating my nerdy coffee table books:

And helping out my roommate as he plays video games:


She even managed to mark all of my Google Reader items as read as she pawed at my laptop. I think that’s her way of saying “Stop reading blogs and pet me!”

I adopted a kitten!

My roommate and I have adopted a kitten! We got her at the Seattle Animal Shelter. She’s a three month old Lynx Colorpoint Shorthair, which basically means she has the same dark areas as a Siamese, but she has tabby stripes in those areas. She is so cuddly I had a hard time pouring her food because she wouldn’t stop nuzzling my hands the whole time, and she loves cuddling up on our laps and happily being held. She is freaking adorable:

There will probably be no intelligent posts for the remainder of the week, as per the xkcd law of Cat Proximity:

She doesn’t have a name yet, so suggestions are welcome!

Why I want a cat in grad school

To help me do all of my lab work:Though in all seriousness, I am looking forward to getting a cat in grad school. Finding a pet friendly apartment is going to be important to me, because I’m pretty dead set on adopting. I’ve had cats my whole life, and undergrad has just felt empty without some feline love. My good friend literally invites me over for what we call “Kitty Therapy” where I basically get to cuddle with his lovable cats for a couple of hours. I think they do wonders for my mental health, which is something I’m going to need to try extra hard to preserve while working towards my PhD*.

Oh, and I’m excited at the added bonus of picking delightfully nerdy names. Darwin is, unsurprisingly, very high on the list.

Don’t worry though; I’m a single cat kind of girl. The risk of me becoming a crazy cat lady is fairly low. …Maybe.

*And before someone lectures me on the responsibilities of owning a cat: Yes, I know. I’m the one who had to clean litter, feed them, play with them, groom them. I realize they take time and money – but to me, it’s worth it.