A cat's eye view of the statehouse

2010-02-18T12:02:00.001-08:00

I have to say I'm really enjoying this unseasonable weather. It's so good to just stretch in a warm sunbeam and nap with a fresh, light breeze drifting over me. Every day should be like today.

I've been spending some extra time at the reporter house because the humans I live with are on a trip to Guatemala. Don't worry — there are plenty of people taking care of me. Your friend Bob is well-loved.

But I have to admit it's been a little lonely with my humans gone, so I've been showing my reporter friends some extra lovin' this week, just so they know I appreciate them.

They've all been working really hard to make sure other humans can get the news about what's happening at the Legislature — and boy is there a lot going on here! But even though everyone is busy, they still take time to stop and say "Hi" to me and scritch behind my ears. I figure it's my job to help keep everyone relaxed by being adorable.

2010-02-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

I've been spending the day inside the reporter house, trying to stay out of the rain, and all of the InternKittens are talking about one of the politician humans who did something kind of silly today.

From what I heard, the politicians really want one of the old space shuttles to come to Washington state when NASA is done with it. That would be pretty cool. I like space ships.

From The Capitol Record:

“If we refer to these kinds of things as ‘letters to Santa’ usually,” said. Rep. Bob Hasegawa. “The world is changing so much and for us to be able to lay claim to this valuable piece of history … I think it really speaks highly of Seattle and our aerospace tradition.” He finished by saying, “make it so and k’plah.”

But here's the silly part the InternKittens are all talking about — apparently, Hasegawa threw a Vulcan salute while he said "Make it so," and the heads of Trek nerds everywhere spontaneously exploded.

The Vulcan salute, of course, was made famous by the character of Spock. Everyone knows that when you make the salute, you say "Live long and prosper." That's the accepted etiquette.

"Make it so" is what Capt. Jean-Luc Picard would say when he wanted Data to make the ship go. Then he would usually tug on his jacket. It was kind of his thing. Some fans refer to this as the Picard Maneuver.

The point is that the Vulcan salute and "Make it so" just don't go together in the Star Trek universe.

K'plah, by the way, means "Success!" in Klingon. It like wishing someone good luck.

"K'plah!" to you, Rep. Hasegawa. Your friend Bob won't hold it against you.

2010-02-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

I came across this blog post during my wanderings on the internet this morning. I think Bonkers really has the right approach to politics.

It's a beautiful day at the capitol. I went prowling around outside for awhile and then came to visit my reporter friends until it was time to settle into my favorite chair for a nice long morning nap. I look forward to drifting off while listening to birds chirping outside. Maybe I'll have a good bird-chasing dream.

Later!

2010-02-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Did you know Workers Compensation covers cat-related injuries? We usually don't mean to hurt anybody, but claws happen sometimes.

Isn't that the guy from Nirvana in the comments?

Thanks to my reporter friend Rachel for the link.

2010-02-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. As happens to so many writers, I've been overcome with doubt and malaise, wondering whether I really have anything important or interesting to say. Are my napping habits really that riveting? But then I checked my e-mail and comments and learned I have fans!

One of my fans is Gracie, who sent this e-mail:

"Dear Bob:

What an exciting life you must lead being able to take care of all of those interns! All I ever get to do is pretend to be jumping all over the floor as my human, Linda, swings a ribbon tied to a string tied to a stick. I let her think 'I'm thinking about killing a mouse but, I know it's just a ribbon tied to a string...Whatayougonnado?? You got to keep these humans happy... I have a older playmate here but, since I am the new kid on the block and she is eighteen years old, she ignores me every time I try to be friendly.I also have three dogs that I enjoy teasing as, they get in trouble if they even look like they want to kill me ! It's lots of fun ! I have a pink blanket I like to curl up on. I also like to sleep on the bed, on a shelf, on my human's favorite chair and especially, on top on the kitchen table when the sun is blaring from the window. My human's daughter, Sharon, works there at the capital with you and I know you must keep a careful eye on her as she is under the control of four of us felines. I know they must have a time keeping her on the straight and narrow ! Well Bob, it has been great talking to you and may I say I hope all of your ''temptations' are delicious ones!!

Your friend, Gracie"

She even sent me a photo!

Another one of my fans is Precious, who left some comments on my last post and said she liked my idea to have a state cat. I'm sorry I didn't see those sooner, Precious!

Precious was pretty worried about me and her human wrote to one of my reporter friends to make sure I was okay. Wasn't that nice? I like when humans do things like that. It makes me feel loved.

Precious is 3 years old and will be 4 in April. Here are some other things Precious' human said about her.

"She likes to ride in the car and goes to visit people, even a business in Aberdeen and sits on the counter. She has an electric train that she figured out how to work the remote, takes the keys off the laptop, helps cook, even has her own little netbook computer. She walks on a leash like a dog and sleeps on her own hot pad when it gets cold.

Precious also drinks white wine form the Westport Winery, only likes white......Bordello Blonde...."

Precious' human also said that when anyone buys a bottle of Westport Winery's Jetty Cat Red, some of the money goes to help homeless cats.

Thanks to Gracie and Precious for being my fans. It makes me very happy to know other cats enjoy my blog. I promise to keep writing for the rest of the legislative session.

2010-01-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on those legislative priorities. They should be done tomorrow.

Today I came over to visit my friends in the reporter house but they were all gone! I guess they were all out working. They're all back this afternoon and I've been having lots of fun going from office to office visiting them all, and getting to know the new InternKittens. As I predicted, they totally love me.

The reporter house smells pretty funny today. A couple of strange guys in overalls were spreading white stuff all over the walls. It makes me feel rather drowsy. I think I'll hop up in my chair with the red fleece blanket and ~~take a nap~~ think about my legislative priorities some more.

Hello again!

2010-01-05T15:00:00.001-08:00

It's been a long interim. I'm glad some of my friends are starting to trickle back into the capital. The reporter who brought me the red fleece blanket came back on Monday. I've really enjoyed sharing my office in the reporter house again. A cat can never have too much attention.

The last few months have been pretty exciting for me. Did you know I nearly died? After a lovely summer soaking up the unusual, but very welcome, spell of heat and sunshine, I started feeling kind of funky and wasn't breathing very well. Then one day I went to visit my friends at the reporter house and I almost couldn't breathe at all. My friend Rachel scooped me up and she and Joe drove me to the emergency vet. They thought I had been hit by a car. The people at the vet clinic thought so too until they figured out that I have asthma and that's why I couldn't breathe. They gave me some medicine and I'm fine now, but apparently I was minutes from death. Thank you, Rachel and Joe for saving me! I was very grateful, even though it meant a trip to the vet.

Speaking of Joe, he retired right after that and I really miss seeing him in the press house. I hope you're enjoying your retirement, Joe.

I've also been dieting and must say I'm feeling a bit more svelte than when the last legislative session ended.

I'm looking forward to next Monday when the session starts and all of my friends are back. I'm currently drafting my legislative priorities to give to my politician friends. I know this is a bad budget year, but I think I have some great ideas. I'm sure they'll agree.

I'm also looking forward to meeting a whole new set of ReporterKittens. They call themselves "interns." A few of them came yesterday, but I haven't really gotten to know them yet. I'm sure they'll love me. Who wouldn't?

2009-04-20T17:33:00.001-07:00

With the legislative session coming to a close (or so we think?) and sun and warm weather returning to Olympia, I'm planning to take a hiatus from blogging for awhile. I also hear the reporter who lives in the office with the red fleece blanket is leaving next week to go back home until next year, and the last two ~~kittens~~ interns will be gone. Sad times. I'll miss the new friends I made this year, and my friends in the politician houses who go home for the rest of the year.

But my old friends Austin, Curt, Rachel and Joe will still be in the reporter house and I'll come by to visit them when I'm not stretching in the sun or scratching my back in the parking lot.

Thanks everyone for reading my blog! See you next session!

2009-04-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been a long time since I updated this thing. We've had some lovely sunny days in Olympia, so I've been out enjoying the rays and rolling around in the gravel outside the reporter house. It's a great way to scratch your back. I highly recommend it.

And when I haven't been soaking up the sun, I've been busy helping my reporter friends. Things are getting more and more hectic around the capitol as we get near the end of the legislative session, and I'm putting a lot of hard work into being cute, sweet and loving so my friends don't get too stressed out. It's amazing how a little snuggle can make someone smile.

2009-03-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's a gloomy day in Olympia. It's been raining off and on, the sky is gray, the air is cold and damp, and I find that I lack motivation for my usual cat activities, except for napping. One of the reporters offered me some smoked salmon for her lunch, and I didn't even feel like sniffing it, much less gobbling it up as I should. Woe is me. I hope my motivation comes back, because it isn't every day that someone offers me smoked salmon. I'm sure I'll eventually muster the energy to eat it. Perhaps a nap would help.

Zzzzzzzzzz....

2009-03-18T12:24:00.001-07:00

I hope you like the new blog layout. I get restless if I have to look at the same thing for too long. But, you know, I'm a cat. Restless is in my nature. Except when I'm napping.

Which I'm about to do in protest because the reporter who lives in the office with the red fleece blanket would not share her lunch with me! I was there earlier -- and she kept disturbing my morning nap to scritch my ears, I might add -- but wandered outside for awhile to make my rounds, visit the guard who lives in the security shack, the usual. I came back a few minutes ago and found a delightful smell wafting through the reporter house. Something beefy. Soup, I think. Well, this smelled like something I would enjoy, so I followed the reporter up the stairs from the kitchen to her office and perched at her feet. I waited patiently. I kneaded the carpet to show I was expecting something good. I even purred. And she didn't share. Not one morsel.

"Isn't that one of the first things humans are taught?" I thought. "That sharing is good?" And yet. No soup for Bob.

So I retreated to the chair with the red fleece blanket, where I'm now grooming myself to show her that I don't care about her or her lack of concern for my hunger. Hmph.

2009-03-17T14:39:00.001-07:00

I heard one of the humans mention that this week is Sunshine Week. You wouldn't know it around here, though. There's been very little sun. Mostly rain, and some sleet earlier. It's pretty yucky outside. I didn't want to leave the house this morning.

I'm a pretty big fan of sunshine. It's nice and warm to lie in. We should all celebrate sunshine this week.

2009-03-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

I strolled over to the reporter house this afternoon, and when I got there, they all asked, "Bob! Where have you been?!" I just shrugged and made my rounds. Time is meaningless for a cat. I don't know why humans get so worked up about it. They should just calm down and take more naps.

There's a rhythm to my visits to the reporter house. First I visit the downstairs office where Rachel keeps a dish for me filled with food and water. Isn't that nice? I've got a pretty sweet life.

Then I wander upstairs and hang with Austin. Today I helped him with some of his work on the radio.

After I visit Austin, I go check on the interns. I hear they'll be leaving pretty soon. That makes me sad. I liked having lots of new friends in the reporter house.

Today, I played with Chris a little in the hall.

Then I went to the office with the red fleece blanket, but it was different today. Michelle, the reporter who lives there, had cleaned off her desk so I jumped up there and let her scritch me for a few minutes.

I also thought about eating some health food, since a few people have cracked jokes about my weight lately.

She had some carrots that looked like they could be kind of yummy. They are almost the same color as cantaloupe, which I love.

But after checking them out for a minute, I decided carrots aren't really that much like cantaloupe after all.

Ah, well.

2009-03-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Something fun for a lazy Sunday.

An Engineer's Guide to Cats.

And for my politician friends, An Engineer's Guide to Voting.

Dear Ginger Cat -- If you ever get elected, I would make a great Secretary of Naps.

There's a little snow on the ground today. To lapse into LOLcatspeak for a moment, do not want.

2009-03-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

I heard some of my reporter friends had to work today even though it's Saturday. The politicians are pretty busy working today, too, which means the reporters have to be here to write about them. So I decided to come over to the reporter house today to keep them company. I'm such a softie.

For those of you who are working, here are some cute pictures of me to brighten your day.

2009-03-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Some funny office cat videos.

Did you know cats can fix printers, file and check messages? Just in case anyone needs a little extra office help in the Legislature.

2009-03-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

As I roam the capitol lately, people keep commenting that I've gotten a bit pudgy. I suppose that's true, but I am wounded nonetheless. I happen to think I'm quite beautiful, even with a bit of extra baggage around the middle.

I do keep thinking I should get out more and get some more exercise. I do nap a lot. But the siren call of the red fleecy blanket is strong, perhaps stronger than I can resist.

2009-03-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

Google tells me that today is Dr. Seuss's birthday. Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss wrote my all-time favorite book. Can you guess what it is?

Here's a clue. I've always thought the cartoon was far superior to the live-action movie.

Take a minute to visit Seussville today. You'll be glad you did.

2009-03-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

So. Not. Cool.

Stupid, stupid human.

2009-03-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

It is was a beautiful day in Olympia. I got out early, prowled around the capitol in the crisp morning air, then settled in for a nice stretch in the sun on the hood of a car at the reporter house. The sun felt wonderfully warm on my fur as I lay looking up at the sky. Some of my reporter friends walked by and scritched my ears. Life is pretty good.

I hope all of my friends ~~get~~ got to spend a moment stretching in the sun today.

But the rain came again around Noon and now it's overcast again. It's a good time to curl up and take a nap.

Incidentally, I always wonder why humans use the phrase "cat nap" to mean "a very short sleep." I wonder if those humans have ever seen an actual cat napping.

2009-02-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

Why would anyone do this* to a cat? Note to humans who think they're funny -- there's a reason all the cats in these pictures look ticked off.

We do not exist for your pleasure. You exist for ours.

I also don't find this particularly funny, even though it's fake. But I do think it's kind of funny so many humans thought it was real. There was even a petition to stop the bonsai kitten madness! Silly, silly humans. It's called Photoshop.

*Thanks to Bruce for the link.

2009-02-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Dear reporter friends,

Did you see there's a free aquarium on craigslist? Personally, I think an aquarium with some nice ~~tasty~~ colorful fish would really add to the ambience in your workplace.

Your friend,
Bob

2009-02-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Maine, Maryland and Massachusetts all have state cats? Maine's, of course, is the Maine coone. In Maryland, they prefer the calico. And the tabby is the state cat of Massachusetts.

So, I ask you, why doesn't Washington have a state cat? We have a state bird (American Goldfinch), a state marine mammal (the killer whale), a state bug (the Green Darner Dragonfly) and a state grass (bluebunch wheatgrass). Let me say that again. A state grass. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm a fan of grass, especially dactylis glomerata. Yum!

There's even a proposal for a state candy this year (Aplets and Cotlets).

But no state cat?

Here's a list of all the state mammals in the U.S.

Just for the record, the state land mammal in Alabama is ... the human being.

2009-02-20T16:56:00.001-08:00

Please consider taking a moment of silence in remembrance of a one-time famous capitol cat, Socks.

2009-02-16T12:24:00.001-08:00

I hear Sen. Patty Murray was at the house where the reporters live today and I wasn't invited! I would have liked to ask her if the stimulus package includes scritches for underprivileged cats with no humans. What better stimulus is there for a cat than a good scritch?

2009-02-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

It appears I may have offended some Canine Americans with recent statements that were considered speciesist in nature. I never meant to offend or harm anyone with my statements, which were made in a moment of frustration at being denied access to a favorite napping spot. I believe the pressures of instant fame also were to blame. Everywhere I go, humans are snapping pictures of me. It seems I can no longer even stretch in the sun without someone walking by saying, "Hey, Bob! I like your blog!" when all I want is a moment of peace. My comments may have been out of turn, but I certainly hold no grudge against Canine Americans or their humans.

Here is a link to Toby poodle's blog. Perhaps someday soon, Toby will understand the life of a capitol ~~cat~~ dog.

2009-02-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Olympia is having a snowpocalypse today. It's been coming down in big, wet, sticky flakes all day. It's enough to drive a cat indoors for a nice, long nap. Which is exactly what I did!

I spent a couple of hours snoozing in the warm, fleecy comfort of my red blanket, then got up and decided to make the rounds, spread the love, you know the drill. But something was different today.

I jumped down from the chair with the red fleece blanket and mosied on over to the room where the reporters who talk on the radio live. But their door was closed. They do that sometimes if they're recording stuff because I wear a jingle bell on my collar and I guess they don't want that on the radio. Personally, I think it would add a pleasant ambiance, but their mileage must vary.

Since I couldn't hang out with the radio guys, I decided to try the interns. They're usually glad to see me, and they have that super cool orange vinyl couch when I want to try out a different nap spot for a little while. But their door was closed, too!

I sat outside feeling puzzled. Why was everyone shutting me out today?

One of the interns opened the door, which I naturally assumed was an invitation to come inside. Better late than never. But he pushed me back! What the...? Then another one came out and I tried for the door again, but got pushed back again. This time, I could see through the opening before the door was so rudely slammed in my face. And you'll ever guess what I saw. Really. You'll never guess.

A dog.

Let me say that again.

A. Dog.

I was just stunned that anyone would prefer the company of a dog over me. I mean. A dog. Need I say more?

Apparently, the dog belongs to the human who's in charge of the interns. Her name is Cindy. The dog's name is Toby. He's some kind of poodle. He doesn't have a blog (like a dog could be smart enough!) but he has a video on youtube.

Here's Toby with his mom, totally blocking my access to the orange couch. It's a hard knock life for a cat, I tell you.

I suppose it's all right as long he stays away from my red fleece blanket. But if he touches my blanket, I'm opening a can of whoop ass. Don't think I can't do it.

2009-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, fickle humanity. I came over to visit my reporter friends today, made the rounds of their offices, trying to spread the love. Sometimes I spend more time in one office or another, and I want all of my reporter friends to know they're each special to me. So I was hanging out with the interns -- they have a really nice couch I like to stretch out on -- when one of them scooped me up and carried me off to another office. Then he shut the door. I have been cruelly snubbed.

He's one of the ones who talks on the radio, and he told one of the other humans it was because he was afraid I'd step on his stuff and erase his work. As if I'd do such a thing. Hmph!

He at least put me down in the office with the red fleece blanket. I suppose I shall have to resign myself to napping in here today. But I am wounded. Wounded! Is there no love for Bob in this cold, cold world? I shall take to my red fleece blanket and despair.

2009-02-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Yo. I thought I'd pop in for a quick update before settling in for a well-earned nap on my new comfy red fleece blanket. I've already decorated it with lots of my fur so everyone will know it's mine. I wouldn't want some other cat to wander in here and nap in my spot.

Anyway. I haven't been around to visit my reporter friends lately because one of the humans I live with has been sick with the flu since Friday, so I stayed home to take care of her. It's important to keep humans warm when they're sick. Snuggling is good for that. But she was feeling better today, so I took the opportunity to stretch out in the sun by the security guard shack and then come inside the place where the reporters live for a visit. They were so happy to see me! I guess they really missed me while I was gone. I think they were kind of worried when I didn't show up. Aw! Isn't that sweet? Humans can be pretty cool sometimes.

As I was stretched out at the security guard shack, which is next to one of the politician places, I kept hearing people talk about "cap and trade." At first I thought they were saying "catnip trade" and got really excited. I would definitely support more catnip trade in this state. But I guess it means something else. Once I figured out they weren't talking about catnip, I kind of stopped paying attention.

2009-01-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

The humans around here keep talking about being green today. The governor -- she's the human who's in charge of the statehouse -- wants people to be green. But I've never seen a human who was that color. Maybe they should listen to this guy.

2009-01-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

Some readers have expressed surprise that I don't write in "LOL Cat" speak. For those unfamiliar, visit www.icanhascheezburger.com. It's in my links.

Anyway. I find the whole LOL Cat trend somewhat offensive. Cats communicate in as elegant and articulate a fashion as anyone else. Except dogs. They're just doofuses. But I digress. While it may make cute pictures, it's simply speciesist to assume that cats speak some backward brand of pidgin babytalk. The creator of that website should issue a public apology to Feline Americans everywhere.

2009-01-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos of yours truly. These were taken by one of my new reporter friends, Chris. Chris is a special kind of reporter called an intern. They're kind of like kittens. There are a lot of them around the reporter place this year. There used to be more reporters, but a lot of the reporters went away. I miss my friends who left, but it's nice to have new humans to admire me, too. That's kind of how things go around here. Humans come and go, but I remain constant.

You know, I think these photos make me look a bit thick around the middle. Maybe I shouldn't nap quite as much.

Naaaaah.

2009-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

This is an old story, but I never get sick of it.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Olympia. The sun was shining! I found some good spots to stretch out and soak up the rays, which are all too rare around here. Then I went to the place where the reporters live and got lots of good scritches and took a nap until it was time to go home.

This morning, there was snow on the ground, but it's since turned to rain. It's enough to make a cat want to stay curled up inside. I haven't decided yet whether I'll go visit my reporter friends today, although one of them bought me my own red blanket and that sounds like a pretty sweet spot for a nap right about now.

2009-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

These reporter people really like to take pictures. It seems every time I visit them, someone's whipping out a camera. Not that I can blame them. I am a handsome devil.

AP file photos

2009-01-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

It's another gray day in Olympia. I haven't wandered over to visit my friends at the reporter house yet. Maybe they'll have cantaloupe for me today. I had a nice nap on the new human's coat yesterday.

Someone told me I'm not the only capitol cat on the internet. I'm sure I'm the most handsome, though. And I would never rickroll anyone. That's so 2008.

2009-01-21T19:13:00.001-08:00

Well. I'm not so sure about this new human after all. I was curled up on the nice, warm coat taking a nap, dreaming of a nice, juicy cantaloupe when all of a sudden I'm being picked up. Naturally, I started to purr because I thought I was gettin' some lovin' -- and I always enjoy some lovin' -- but instead I got dropped on the floor and told to go home! Can you believe the nerve?

So I walked over to the other office where the humans who talk on the radio live. But the one with the coat followed me! And picked me up again! And the one who talks on the radio did nothing! Nothing!

Then the one with the coat carried me downstairs and, you're not going to believe this, put me outside! In the cold!

Just for that, when I come back tomorrow, I'm shedding on that coat twice as much. Twice. As. Much.

2009-01-21T15:48:00.001-08:00

Hey. I'm Bob. I live in Olympia, the state capital of Washington. I spend my days roaming around the capitol campus while my humans are at work. I hang out in this place a lot.

The humans who live there are called reporters. They feed me, scritch me and let me hang around and take naps. It's pretty cool.

Sometimes I just take walks outside and sniff things. There are other humans around here called politicians. They don't feed me or let me hang around and take naps.

The reporters and politicians both go into this place a lot.

The humans say that's where they make their laws. Cats don't need laws. I don't go there because there are no soft places to nap. It's much better in the place where the reporters live. There's a new human in that place who let me sleep on its coat. Score!

Photos by Michelle Dupler.