Rothy and Junior: training the cuddle pile.

Junior and Rothy are mortal enemies.

Cat enemies, which means they may nap in each other's presence. But enemies nonetheless.

It started with Rothy's sister. She's small, round, cute, the ultimate lap cat ... and runs away like prey from the Very Large Junior.

Junior couldn't resist.

Rothy won't stand up for himself. But apparently you don't mess with his sister. Junior backs little round Taffy into a corner, who mews in terror -- and Rothy's There, the defending hero. And big enough to stand up to Junior.

(Otherwise Junior and Rothy used to get along just fine.)

We've been working on this.

First, Junior and Taffy have been separated. She's an upstairs cat with my aunt, while Junior and Rothy stay downstairs with me.

Second, I've been giving Junior Lots of love and attention. It's true. Small, cute Taffy got all the cuddles while Big Bad Junior got none. Jealousy was part of the equation. Junior's always wanted to be a lap cat, too.

Third, I've been overfeeding Junior. A plump Junior prefers to watch his prey rather than chase.

Fourth, I've been getting Junior and Rothy habituated to each other's company in comforting conditions: eating together, snuggling on the couch to either side of me.

Last month they got up my bed. At the same time. Granted, it was to escape the growling floor monster (otherwise known as the vacuum cleaner) but they did it of their own accord.

And then ... last night, our biggest victory so far.

tbc...

The fundraising situation at the temple.

The Long-term costs of all but one room (and the bathrooms) of the temple being shut

This time last year the temple had been dramatically closed by the temple. We were forced to hold events and retreats on the front lawn.

In a tent.

In the snow.

( Sweltering practices were held in 94-degree weather on the front porch, with useless fans plugged in through the windows. )

Now, thanks especially to DoMore24 ONE ROOM, the prayer room, is reopened. The temple's allowed 104 people. (We've a regular membership of around 200-300, and host events of 500+.)

What's survived?

( The prayer vigil continues, of course. )

What hasn't?

( The food bank is closed. )

For us? The biggest impact has been the lack of space for the community. We don't have a place where we can just sit and talk anymore, and no place for our myriad of project meetings (we've had rent outside venues or meet at people's house). You can see the results in between prayer shifts. People chat, hungry for each other's company. Other than online, or working on temple grounds, we don't get to see each other very much any more.

For the non-Buddhists? The biggest loss has been the closing of The Mani Jewel. For the cyclists and birders it was the only pit stop for fifteen miles along River Road, and there are races along this route.

For the larger Buddhist community? The closure of The Mani Jewel is a biggie, it was a destination store. But the hardest hit are the pilgrims. They've come, and they've had to be turned away.

The big plus of the renovation that went beyond restoring what we had? The repaired floor of the prayer room, of course. The new fire doors, sure. But for me, it's the BATHROOMS. No more lines at that one little bathroom off the hall, thank god.

Bathrooms or not, we need our temple back. The whole temple, not just one room, even if it is an important room. We have permits we need through the hard work of Costly Lawyers.

Now it's time to begin.

And DoMore24 is here again.

The results: $11k closer, plus we "won" the religious organization category.

Lost ficlets: Feel Your Way (SGA, John); Elizabeth Weir, System Lord (SG-1, yes, Weir)

It's official. Three-quarters of my job has officially ended.

The tutoring center's open till Saturday, but just to box things up. I filled my car with textbooks bound to another center last night. No students remain.

I stayed up till dawn playing on the internet. I have my first weekend off in I don't know how long. (I worked weekends.) Am picking up hours in another tutoring center already, so the fear and pressure of job loss is gone. Your prayers and good wishes (and laughter over the disappearing furniture) are much appreciated and I think the reason why I've been so level (and amused).

As dawn painted the sky ... I found two lost ficlets from last summer:

Feel Your Way
John Sheppard is caught between his conscience, his duty, and his career.
"They're gonna waste me, Teyla. They're gonna waste my time."

Elizabeth Weir, System Lord
Rewatching SG-1's "New Order," I thought no... Elizabeth would be a savvy, gutsy, and creative negotiator.
After defeating of Anubis with a now-dead weapons platform, the new leader of Stargate command negotiates with the System Lords. "Enslaving millions of people, slaughtering innocents, yes, that's what the Stargate program is all about."

ETA: grrr... didn't post to LJ.

ETA2: Aha! Figured out why my posts stopped crossposting to LJ.