AnnaNeo

The True Nature of Cats

My cat, Oliver, knows how to manipulate me. I recently read an article about how cats meow to get you to do things for them and rub up against you to mark you as theirs. Nothing I hadn't already suspected, but I think my cat actually does know who is boss (me, in case it wasn't clear).

My cat does the "adorable" and "affectionate" behaviors, such as purring, meowing, and rubbing up against people that according to science show a lack of respect, but he doesn't do the behaviors that article says are insults on top of a lack of respect, like hissing, leaving poop uncovered, licking himself after I pet him to get rid of my human stench, or bringing me dead animals. (I will admit Oliver has brought my dad dead animals before, but never me. I guess he respects me more. )

He is, in fact, as I sit on my bed typing, sitting at my feet now. Or should I say on my feet, really. Maybe I'm just thinking optimistically, but I think Oliver thinks we're sort of equal (perhaps he is slightly superior to me in his mind). I do think Oliver feels quite superior to the other members of my family though. My brother lives in the fear that Oliver will bite him if he tries to pet him or pick him up (his bites never break the skin). He might actually...

Written by: Anna

Posted on: Jul. 07, 2012

Into the Wild

Last week I went on a required school trip into the forest. Basically, our school sent all the juniors (now seniors) into the wilderness for five days and four nights of backpacking and hiking. Mostly just backpacking.

Our packs probably weighed at least fifty pounds each, as we carried our own stuff and the group�s gear, and the internal frame of the packs put all the weight on our hips. The backpacking was particularly hard on me because I�ve had tendonitis in both of my hips, and I had blisters already on my feet from being an usher at my school�s graduation. After I discovered that I could use duct tape to protect my feet, the hiking became more tolerable. We weren�t, however, allowed to wash our hair or our hands or wear makeup (I secretly washed my hands A LOT).

Our group consisted of eleven students and two �team leaders,� aka �chaperones.� The groups for this trip are always assigned randomly, but then the dean goes through the group lists and basically separates friends. This strategy mostly worked, as none of my friends ended up in my group, but she made some mistakes because everyone else in my group was already friends. I just had some bad luck.

But I made it back safely! By the end it wasn�t so bad. I did learn that I hate going to the bathroom in the woods and that I probably won�t go hiking again for a long time. I am happy to be back to civilization and sanitation.

This was my Chris McCandless-esque experience. In about a week I�ll be going to Alaska (spooky and even more McCandless-esque�if you don�t know what I�m talking about read Into the Wild ), and I�ll take a bunch of pictures.

Written by: Anna

Posted on: Jun. 01, 2012