Gross!

i've just been here wishing i could blog, but no. the power has gone out a couple of times here, and it messed up the computer. barring a trip to the library at a time when i had a couple of hours to do internet stuff, it just wasn't possible to be "in here" for the past several days. i know it's pathetic, but that's my excuse for blogosphere absenteeism. i did comment on the end of the last post, for those who had questions.

but basically i've just been working. however, i did think of a memory i could dig up for your amusement. it has to do with the infamous TD. now you foot ball freaks may need to be enlightened to the fact that td does not necessarily mean touch down. in this case it in fact stands for tasmanian devil, the owner of such title being a very large and unfriendly cat. this ferocious feline formerly belonged to my grandmother. the most likely cause for td's meanness was abusive treatment by my mother and her sister. even when they got older and didn't terrorize her anymore, td's revengful spirit would never rest. every day when they got home from school, she would come racing into the room and climb up their legs like a tree trunk with claws drawn. painful when wearing blue jeans... when wearing shorts...?!? this was a regular occurrence. i had a unique and unhappy encounter with her myself. if you follow the clues, you may notice that for me to have encountered this cat, it would have to be rather aged. at the point that i knew her, she rather resembled a certain grouchy fellow living in a trashcan, who you may remember from sesame street. one summer we were in grandma's (mimaw) apartment visiting. being a youngster in a small one bedroom living compartment, i was relegated to sleeping on the floor. one night as i was dozing (the moon covered by clouds, and not a cricket chirping...) td came creeping in to haunt me. i have no idea what i was dreaming of, but i was awakened to find her pirched on my chest peering down in my face. i was most definitely alarmed, but i refrained from the violent reactions that were welling up in me, and spoke pleasantly. "it seems you have a rather severe case of halitosis, miss td." it was at that moment that i discovered what her mission was. the heinous tasmanian devil had barfed everywhere. it was smeared all over my chest, neck, and face. as i listened to her satisfied smacking and squelching, i think a kind of horror and disgust i had never before even known came upon my 10 year old spirit. "YEE-AAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" mimaw may have suspected that all hell had broken loose when i let out those violent reactions which simply could not be contained in that moment when i realized the true meaning of td's visit. i've never been the same since.

tasmanian devil
n : small ferocious carnivorous marsupial having a mostly black coat and long tail [syn: Tasmanian devil, ursine dasyure, Sarcophilus hariisi]