Thomas’s personality is starting to come out as he settles in. He very much takes attention on his terms, but when he wants to cuddle he turns into the world’s happiest cat. On weekdays I have to pet him before I shave, and we bought a bed for him in our room. All the cats take treats together now.

Kitty cuddles over the past few days. Alexander and Thomas are not quite playing together yet, but can play near each other and tolerate sharing space. Artemis demands her own lap time, but Thomas also hopped up and demanded cuddles. He sometimes grabs your arm and pulls it in for attention.

Thomas hopped up in my lap this morning and demanded cuddles and pets. He makes the most ridiculous faces when getting pet on the face and top of the head. Alexander accepted this for a few minutes before the growls started, then left and Artemis came to sniff his tail and make a stinky face.

Thomas update: continuing to settle in. We have morning cuddles on the bed, he absolutely loves to play, and he’s a sink-drinker. Tonight he climbed into the cat tree. Introductions are proceeding, but while there’s some hissing for the most part they’re tolerating each other. I’ll take it.

Today we visited the San Antonio Museum of Art, which has a fantastic collection of art including exhibits from the Pacific, China, Japan, Korea, Rome, Greece, Egypt, Europe, Texas, and Central America. We spent almost the entire day here and didn’t see everything.

On a related note, dear San Antonio I’m concerned about your river water. It’s bright green, 17% alcohol by volume, and tastes like a margarita.

At a restaurant on the Riverwalk that is hosting an adoption event and there is a group of teenage girls out here pulling out every trick in the book to get these dogs adopted and I am 100% here for it. You go, girls.

Living with a cat who has just been released to roam the whole house is like living with a furry little cryptid. You see them out of the corner of your eye and they occasionally emerge to chirp at you, accept pets, and eat some food, but otherwise they’re a source of mysterious noises in the night.

My wife is playing Skyrim for the first time and I’m proud to say that she’s currently archmage of the college, head of the dark brotherhood and thieves guild, harbinger of the companions, about to finish Dawnguard, and still hasn’t met the graybeards. Real gamers know she’s playing the game right.

We decided to go with Thomas since he seemed to like the name. Today he went to his first vet visit with us, where he was diagnosed as a handsome boy with a stressed bladder. Hopefully we’ll get that under control in the next couple of days and he can join the others roaming the house.

Yesterday we went to an adoption event at a location we’d previously visited and found one of the cats still there from last week. He was nervous and scared the first time, and I found myself wondering if he would still be there. He was, and had calmed down a good bit. (Pics at end of thread).

Six months ago we paid off our car. The other day I got a notification from Experian that I no longer have a FICO score because of lack of activity and it’s just so hilariously stupid. I know the tricks to manipulate your credit score, but I have no need for credit and no desire to play their games.

Big Texas thunderstorm tonight, the kind where the whole sky lights up and the thunder rattles the windows. Artemis refuses to be bothered, while Alexander has decided to hide at the top of the cat tree.

We spent this afternoon driving to various local animal shelters and adoption areas with a carrier and all of the necessary paperwork in the backseat. We’re ready to welcome another cat and Alexander in particular could use a playmate. Nobody felt quite right, so we’ll keep looking with an open mind

The Queen upon her perch, with her toy spider that she actually plays with.

I think it’s fair to say he is very happy with his new cat tree. The higher platform is reserved for Artemis.

Dealing with salespeople in a furniture store has a lot of overlap with dealing with the fae. Don’t make eye contact, don’t agree to anything, make no bargains, and don’t eat or drink anything they offer you if you want to leave the store and return to your home.

Finally got my hands on a copy of this and finished the first game. It’s occasionally corny and Kyle in particular hasn’t held up over time, but the rest of it’s like the RPG equivalent of a hug. It’s pure comfort food, and sometimes that’s what you need.

Two weeks in Texas and I feel like I was lied to about it being a dry heat. Maybe in some parts, but 150 miles from the coast and it’s 90% humidity in the morning until the relentless sun burns away the moisture in the air around 10 AM. And the sun is basically the sun from Super Mario 3.

A bit over a week ago my wife and I moved into a “smart home” that promised to let us unlock the door and control the AC remotely. We didn’t particularly want a smart home, but we wanted the rest of the house. In practice the AC stays at the same setting and I take keys with me to put out the trash.

I hate that now I can watch a movie and see a scene where someone’s shoulder gets dislocated and my immediate thought is “that’s not what that sounds like.” Anyway, the new Superman was pretty good and I can definitely see why it upset the worst sort of people.

Moving slowed things down a bit but I finished Expedition 33 tonight. A truly gorgeous and unique game with an incredible soundtrack. The early game is brutal and it remains challenging throughout, but the game also gives you all the tools you need to win and frequent auto saves encourage risk.

When you get in a bit over your head. She definitely wasn’t in there when they packed the box.

Hotel chronicles: the suspiciously cat-shaped object under the blanket is in fact Alexander, who was peacefully snoozing under the blanket when Artemis swatted him. In a panic he ran off the end of the bed and got stuck. He’s free now and unharmed, but that’s 100% orange cat behavior.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’d heard that Buc-Ees sold beaver nuggets but I’d never actually seen them so I thought they would be jerky bites or maybe chocolate covered nut, not a puffed corn type of thing.

Two content kitties dozing in the sun. One more day of travel, and then a few days waiting in a hotel room until we can move in to our new place.

I just had an experience that I think neatly summarizes the current issues with AI. Tonight we stopped at a Circle K that was using an AI optical scanning system for checkout and the cashier had to step in because the scanner kept mistakenly identifying a small bag of Doritos as full size.

A striking things about driving through the South for the first time in decades is the kudzu. Whole groves of trees and hillsides just covered in it. The future ecosystem may just be kudzu, things kudzu is going to eat, things that eat kudzu, things that eat things that eat kudzu, and fish.

Two nights into moving and the cats are relaxed on the hotel bed. This is Alexander’s fourth move and Artemis’s third, so they’re used to it at this point. Alexander has traveled through 16 states and Artemis has traveled through 12.

Definitely know you’re officially in the South when all the walking infrastructure vanishes, even in places where it would make sense. Hotel complex with three hotels, an IHOP, and a Whataburger with no sidewalks connecting any of them because who would want to WALK to get breakfast?

Moving day and as they moved the couch we found the usual stash of cat toys underneath along with… four random sockets and some dental floss? What the hell were our cats building when we weren’t home with a 6mm, 7mm, 13mm, and 7/16 in socket set?

From the “cleaning out the pantry before moving” files, it turns out that Dinty Moore beef stew and Campbell’s chunky old-fashioned beef vegetable soup combine pretty well, and in my opinion actually work better combined than individually.

Age verification? I played Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior before they had numbers after the title.

75 degrees and 92% humidity. At this point I’m not going running, I’m going for a swim on dry land.

He’s very tired from all of the books he’s been reading or, alternatively, devouring through osmosis.

“Wearing The Lion” by @wiswell.bsky.social had me from page one with Hera’s explanation of why she’s never approved of Zeus’s children with mortals, but it’s only getting better as it addresses conflict and cycles of violence. Alternating perspective between Hera and Heracles is brilliant.

You may ask yourself how French the game Clair Obscure could possibly be, and let me tell you that during the prologue I ended up getting my ass kicked multiple times by an animatronic mime with an invisible hammer so the answer is that it is so, so French.

Finished this one today, a definite change of pace with a survival and investigation focused game. The default difficulty doesn’t hold your hand, with no compass or quest markers. You accumulate leads and investigate them to solve the game’s mysteries after waking up in a bunker in rural England.

It’s a hot day, but it’s cool inside and a perfect day in June to enjoy some Pride themed cocktails. The Pink Horsey Club here is going to be interesting later since it includes edible glitter.

This Juneteenth weekend we decided to visit the Appomattox Civil War Museum and national park site where Lee surrendered. An appropriate last road trip in the VA area, and it’s always nice to see the tea towel of surrender. The museum is small, but very nice for an hour or so experience.

I am accused of foul play for leaving with his mother (dropping her off at the salon) and returning without her.

Finally finished this one last night. Overall a good game, especially for the time, but having played Persona 5 first this feels kind of like Persona 5 from Wish. Most of the same concepts, just not quite as fully developed or polished. The ending also felt like it took forever to play out.

You know, if Michaels wanted to make bank right now they could just put a big display at the front of their stores with foam boards, wooden dowels, glue, markers, and maybe some stencils. Just put all the sign making items in one place, you know?

Today we went to Berkeley Plantation, which might be one of the most significant historical homes you’ve never heard of. It was established in 1619, home of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, site of a shipyard in the Revolutionary War, and a Union Army camp in the Civil War.

For the rest of the day we took a water taxi to visit Fort McHenry, the site of the bombardment that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner. The ride out was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see a historical example of a star fort.

Took advantage of the long weekend to take the train up to Baltimore and see the national aquarium, which has a submarine parked out front of it.

She’s so proud of herself after helping put away the groceries and when she’s trapping Alexander under the blanket.

Watched the first two episodes of Murderbot tonight and loved it. It perfectly captures the vibe of poor Murderbot just wanting to watch its shows while the stupid humans are trying to get themselves killed.

Took a day trip to Harpers Ferry today and saw the site where John Brown seized stockpiled federal arms and attempted to incite a slave uprising. Though he failed that day, his actions helped ignite the Civil War less than two years later which ultimately achieved his goal of freeing the slaves.