The Many-faced Napitude of the Elusive Hippo-bear

It was a Hippolicious holiday weekend, and though I kept my feasting to chow and catnip, I am really not in significant need of tryptophan anyway. I suppose chipotle cheddar mashed potatoes would help me get a nice little kitten nap as well, or maybe they would just give me enough spice to fire a run up and down the stairs.

Irregardless, there was no shortage of kitten-like naps over this long weekend. There were as many different varieties of nappage as there were situations over the weekend. On Thursday for instance, Baxter and Katie divided their time fairly evenly between frantic kitchen antics and time on the couch. Hence I divided my time between keeping their spots warm for them:



and snuggling with Katie as she waited for rolls to rise, pie crusts to bake or cakes to cool nearby:



Those were not my only types of sleep of course, since I had to sneak in fairly quick naps (for a Hippo at least) while my friends went out to see a play:



and also got the opportunity to have day long napstravaganzas while the crazy people who keep me in chow went shopping on the day after the turkey-bird:



Anyway you slice it, Hippos love to nap and we do it very well. There is virtually no where that I cannot sleep and virtually no time I can’t enjoy it. More proof is necessary. I submit my final exhibit; even if the impromptu pile of laundry at the bottom of the stairs is only going to be there for an hour or so, I can squeeze in a couple of persian-riffic snoozes.



Alright, blogging, not surprisingly, makes me a tired Hippo. Off to look for something soft and cuddly…like me!

Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

Meowy Purr-sgiving!

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, my Hippo-ness is aware that there is a great feast ahead. All my human friends will sit down at the table with a giant bird, some delicious mashed potatoes, and various other delights. While I might choose to take a lick of the whipped cream when no one is watching, I for the most part prefer to stick with chow.

While I understand that Thanksgiving is a gluttonous holiday for you folks, when it comes to the Hippo-bear, every day is a chance to eat to my little Persian heart is content. I admit that I am not the cleanest kitten on the planet, and I occasionally have a tendency to well, be less than perfectly contained:


You might say (I’m a meower, but I’m not the only purr…) that I could be a cleaner kitten. But, I say to you, why don’t you try to eat the delightful Country Bread Stuffing with Smoked Ham and Goat Cheese that Baxter is making this Thursday with your adorably flat Persian face smashed into the bowl. I think you’ll end up much messier and far less glorious.

Anyway, I am extremely thankful to have laps to lay on, couches to curl up on, blankets to snooze on and great friends and admirers throughout the world. I will join you all on Thursday, as deep in my chow as you are in gravy. Happy Turkey Day everyone!


Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

Debate Hippo

So I must admit, weekends where there are debate tournaments but only one of my friends Katie or Baxter is gone are my favorite kind of debate weekends. It's not that I don't enjoy being alone, because I do. This pretty kitty likes to have time for introspection and pondering the uni-purr-se, but I also like to have a friend at my demand, should I need anything. This weekend, with Katie at home and Baxter at the Wake Forest Debate Tournament in Winston-Salem, NC, was perfect. Katie did laundry, so I got plenty of chances to dart in and out of the laundry room (which they insist on keeping locked much of the time, and which I totally do not understand, as there are cobwebs to run into and spiders to bat, not to mention large machinery to hide behind). We watched much TV, including 3 movies, and a few episodes of the View, which I heart, as I purr Rosie O'Donnell.

This weekend, though, I decided that the best thing for me to do to get to see a little more of the country would be to debate for the University of Rochester. So I started by exercizing my jaw, getting ready to read aloud.


I did some speed drills, but all they did was make my mouth tired.


Then I decided to take a break, do a little research, and gear up for much work.


After all that hard work, I thought about writing some arguments out, practicing my second affirmative constructive, but then I decided that it would be better to take a nap in my tub.

I Have a Hobby, I Maintain the World's Largest Collection of Sea Shells, Perhaps You've Seen It, I Keep it Scattered On Beaches All Over the World

Meowy meow. With Halloween in the past and the insanity of the constant buzz surrounding the question of how adorable I would be in my lobster costume behind me, I am a fairly laid back kitten until Thanksgiving time. Baxter and Katie were around all weekend, petting me, brushing me, and generally enjoying what I like to call the Hipposity of the world. There were admittedly large stretches where they had taken off to places that seemed to be either work at the debate office, a trip to the Orchestra and a Packers’ game.

So I have developed a new primary hobby, as the quote from one of my favorite comedians above indicates. (Steven Wright, by the way. One liners fit my attention span.) It is not done to the exclusion of my other hobbies, like eating chow, batting at string or playing on the stairs. My brand new hobby:



That is correct. Sitting on the back of the couch. You might be tempted to say, “Hey Hippo. How’s it goin. Lovely day isn’t it. Oh, you haven’t been to the window today to see the weather outside? You should, its lovely. Anyway, I don’t think that sitting on the back of the couch itself necessarily constitutes a hobby.” I would say this to you, however: 1) Your argument contradicts itself. I have been so busy in my hobby that I have not even made it over to the beautiful window today to look outside. 2) You obviously know little about sitting on the back of the couch. Here’s a brief rundown.

You can sit in multiple directions, to analyze the geometry of the living room, to look alternately at the stairs, the TV, the kitchen, or either the front or back door. Here is me checking out the patio.



You can wrap your tail around your face, either to curl up all like an adorable red panda or to do a Darkwing Duck impression. Darkwing Duck is a great show by the way, I have been downloading reruns. Anyway, here I am, wrapped up like a Hippo in a blanket, aka, The Hippo Burrito.



But for the most part I am still just attempting to master the most basic component of sitting on the back of the couch. Some would say it was the preliminaries, but in reality, it is like the serve is to tennis, like putting is to golf. It takes more practice than you think, but I am putting in my hours. Cuz ladies and gents, the meat and potatoes of sitting on the back of the couch, is napping. And I will leave you with one last shot as I get back to my hobby of the week.



Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo