Either:

(a) post 7 facts about yourself AND photos OR

(b) post 10 facts about yourself with no photos, OR

(c) post a childhood picture of yourself.

Since I am the type of person who likes to bend the rules when it makes sense to do so, here are some facts about myself, and some photos.

1. I grew up in Pittsburgh PA, City of Champions!! Go Steelers!! Go Pens!! (I’m not a baseball fan.)

2. I have always been a geek, even before it was cool to say that. (It’s probably still not cool, and I am so uncool that I don’t know that.) In the third grade, I alphabetized my books by author’s last name, and have done so ever since. Growing up, I was inspired by Marie Curie, and wanted to be a scientist like her. I love science shows like NOVA and things on the Discovery Channel. MythBusters rocks! This photo is from my First Communion. That’s my Aunt Stell with me. Below that is a photo of my family.

3. I went to high school and college in the 80’s, era of big hair, cool alternative music, and ugly clothes. To this day, I still feel pressure to match my socks to my sweater or shirt. Below are my high graduation photo, with my parents at high school grad party, and senior prom photo (I’m the short one in the bright blue).

4. I went to college at Case Western Reserve University. No, it’s NOT a military school. I changed majors from biomedical engineering to BS chemistry after the first two years.

5. While in college, I volunteered at the college radio station. I got my FCC license to do a radio show before I got my driver’s license.

6. I live in enemy territory (see fact 1) because I met this really nice guy through the college radio station (see facts 4 and 5). After graduation, I stayed in town because he was here. We dated for seven years before getting married. We have been married for almost thirteen years.  (Yes, that is a real waterfall, not a studio backdrop.)

7. I work as a Data Manager at a university. What that means is I design databases and data entry screens for medical research studies. I also prepare data sets for statisticians to analyze.

8. The people I supervise at work think I’m sooooo old. “Wow, you were alive for the first Moon Landing!” This is with my sister, brother, and Dad.  I’m a firstborn, so I’m the tallest child in the photo.

9) I love to garden. However, living in northeast O-Hi-O, the gardening season is quite short, so I have to maximize every opportunity during the non-snow months of June, July, August, and September.  If the Bambinos let me, I will do a separate post about my garden.

10) I volunteer for a local animal rescue group called PAWS (Public Animal Welfare Society). A few months after adopting The Furry Bambinos, who had been in the PAWS foster system, my husband and I began volunteering at events.  Now he does transports (transporting woofies and kittehs to and from the V-E-T, to and from PetSmart locations, etc.), and we are fostering two kittens, Cookie and Caramel.

This has been a lot of fun! I would like to tag the following Mommies:

Poppy Q’s Mum

Miles, Sammy, and Billy SweetFeets’ The Mom Lady Person

Titus, Tazo, and Earl Grey’s The Mom

Everyone, please play along if you are so inspired!

Second of all, we were recently tagged by Bear and Shadow to do the “Seven Useful Things” Meme!  We couldn’t decide who got to post this, so we decided Mom said we have to do this as a joint post.

Padre’s Useful Things That I Do to Help Mom and Dad:
1) I say “Bless You” whenever anyone sneezes.  Each time.  This is especially important to do if Mom or Dad is home, but the other one isn’t around to bless them.

2) I help Mom fall asleep at night by joining her on the bed.  Then when she’s good and drowsy, I sit by the door and ask her to be let out.

3) I often snoopervise when Dad scoops our poop boxes.

4) I greet Mom and Dad when they come home from “work” (whatever that is).

5) I inspect all shopping bags that come into the house.

6) I do daily Squirrel Patrol, Bird Patrol, and recently, Chipmunk Patrol. I spend most of the day looking out the big tall windows and keep an eye on the wildlife.

7) I like to purr whenever Mom or Dad comes near me.  It makes them feel very special to be loved by a Great Grey Kitty like me!

Panda Bear’s Useful Things:
1) I perform the very important role of Life Guard whenever Mom is in the human litter box room. Especially if she is in the rain maker thing. I push open the door of the human litter box room and check on her.

2) I help Dad keep the office just the way he likes it. If something unusual happens and the room starts to look too tidy, then I help restore it to its “natural state” (see photo below).

3) I help Mom eat breakfast. I finish the last of the milk in Mom’s cereal bowl for her.

4) I am a Big Help when Dad changes our poop boxes. I sniff all the materials, make sure that Dad cleans the empty boxes to my liking, and inspect the new litter immediately as it is placed into the box.  Occasionally, Dad is too slow, and I need to make a deposit before he is all done.

5) I say hello to Mom and Dad when they get home from wherever they go all day. I sit in the front window and meow at them. Once they come in the front door, I greet them at the door.

6) I am on regular Neighborhood Watch duty.  I sit at the front window and make sure that all is right with our world.

7) I am friendly and cuddly and lovable! I keep Mom and Dad entertained with my antics!  I am definitely the comic relief around here!

meerkat’s useful things:
1) i catch bugs, like moths and spiders. i deadify them so that mommy and daddy will be safe.

2) i help mommy when she is at the computer. i keep her company and roll around and help her type.

3) sometimes i snoopervise when dad scoops our poop boxes.

4) i am the head food taster here at casa cabán. when mommy or daddy is preparing our meals, i give the food a taste to make sure that it is acceptable.

5) most evenings, i am on mouse patrol to make sure that no mousies are in the house!

6) i do performance artwork on the furniture when my soft paws claw covers fall off.

7) i am friendly and cuddly! i like to flop down at mommy’s or daddy’s feet and ask them to pet me. it makes them smile and feel loved!

OK, now we need to tag some kitties to continue this Meme. We tag:

Kelly Cat, Lizzie, Caitie, and Nicky from It’s All Good

Parker, Powder, Puff, and Rudy from Perfectly Parker

Millie

Poppy Q

thanks, zoolatry!!!

you can see how well my furs blend in with the desert landscape. mommy and daddy named me meerkat because of the color of my furs, and because of the sounds i make. i don’t really meow, i prefer to make chirpy and trilly sounds. when i was a kitten, i had a really long tail compared to the size of my body, and i like to run with it straight up, like meerkats doing their war dance. my tail is still especially long, and is very useful for whapping.

(i am still learning how to stand on my hind legs. it takes lotsa practice.)

a little while ago, i was tagged by the nice kitties at meaouwy troops for the middle name meme. i thought it would be appropriate to post my meme with my family portrait.

Here are the rules:
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don’t have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother’s maiden name).

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged.)

i haven’t been given an “official” middle name, but daddy and mommy call me “meerkat girl” often, so i decided to use girl for my middle name meme.

g: great, gentle, gorgeous

i: intelligent, incredible, internet-savvy

r: reserved, rambunctious, regal (hey, they don’t call me “queen of the kalahari” for nothing)

l: lady, loving, lovable

so now i need to tag some friends. i tag:

sophiekitty
adan, lego, & michico

and if my brothers want to play, i tag panda bear and padre. (mom made me do this. sigh.)

thanks for tagging me, meaouwy troops!

Message In A Bottle Meme

What message would you like to send out to the universe?

You are about to send a virtual Message In a Bottle across the Blog Ocean. Leave a message in the sand or on the bottle. Write anything you wish. Be a pirate or a poet. Serious or silly. Anonymous or not.

Here are the rules:

1. Compose a message to place in your virtual bottle.
2. Go to Mimi Writes. Right click and Save the graphic found on Mimi’s blog.
3. Use a graphics program of your choice to place the message on the picture.
4. Post the meme and these rules on your blog.
5. Tag a minimum of five people – or your entire blogroll – to do the same. Notify them of the tag.
6. Leave your link at Mimi´s blog to be added to the master list of message bottles.

Your virtual bottle will remain afloat in the blogosphere ocean for all blogernity (Thatâ€s a Mimism for blog + eternity.)

Now, we tag the following friends to participate in The Message In A Bottle Meme:

1) Adan, Lego, & Michico
2) Darling Millie
3) Dragonheart and Merlin

you need to tell everyone 3 things that are new with you! link it back to www.tigmuthep.blogspot.com and the purrson who gave it to you (millie) and pass it on to 3 more kitties you’d like to know more about!

1. i have discovered recently that mommy has a very comfortable lap! i like to sit on her lap while she pets me and gives me scritches.

2. i am currently going through a growth spurt, so i have been extra hungry. if panda bear and padre don’t eat everything in their bowl before i am ready for more, i (ahem) eat from their bowls, even if it means pushing them out of the way. in fact, mom and dad are even calling me (gasp, this is embarrassing) the food bully.

3. recently, i like to go into the human litter box room when mom or dad is in there. i like to lie down on the carpet and roll back and forth, showing off the stripes on my tummy!

these are the three kitties that i am tagging:

my brother panda bear

gandalf and grayson at it’s all about meow

poppy q tagged us for the meme created by the charming cats at www.petspics.blogspot.com/.

here are the rules:
you have to post who tagged you and link back to them and then to petspics.blogspot.com. then you have to tag 3 other kitties, beans, woofies, or any other assorted animal.

what three things would you do that you have never done before, if you knew you wouldn’t get caught, get in trouble, or suffer any consequences?

hmm… this is hard…

1. i would go visit gramma, grampa, and uncle jim in pittsburgh.  mom tells me that her fambly really likes kitties.  while in pittsburgh, i would visit aunt patty and meet our feline cousins rainbow and muse!

2. i would go outside and play in the yard and sniff everything and climb trees!

3. i would remove these silly soft paws claw covers and claw all the furniture to my heart’s content!

now i have to tag 3 other kitties, so i tag:
the gang at jan’s funny farm

my brothers panda bear and padre will also do this meme later this week.

thanks for tagging us poppy q!

here are the rules:
post a link to the kitty who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
list your real name, how you got your real name, nicknames you like/tolerate, and nicknames you wish your humans would stop calling you.
tag several kitties, and write a comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

real name: meerkat

named meerkat because: i am a gold and brown tabby kitty. mom and dad wanted to name me something to do with my markings. they also really like to watch the tv show “meerkat manor”. mom and dad think that my markings make me look like a meerkat, and i make chirpy sounds like meerkats make. mom and dad also say that i eat like a meerkat. i take some offense about the eating part, as i do not dig up bugs or scorpions. so what if i chew with my mouth open?

nicknames i like/tolerate:
meer meer
ms. meerkat
meerkitten
little girl
girly-girl
bambina!

nicknames i do not like:
food bully (hey, i happen to be going through a growth spurt right now and need my nourishment…)

now, i tag the following kitties:
millie
dragonheart and merlin
kimo and sabi

Here are the rules for the Nicknames Meme:
Post a link to the kitty who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
List your real name, how you got your real name, nicknames you like/tolerate, and nicknames you wish your humans would stop calling you.
Tag several kitties, and write a comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Real Name: Panda Bear

Named Panda Bear Because: I am a black and white tuxedo kitty. Mom and Dad wanted to name me something to do with my markings and personality, and panda bears are cute and cuddly. (I am glad that they didn’t choose to name me Skunk!)

Nicknames I Like/Tolerate:
Bambino!
PB
The Purrmeister
Little Guy

Nicknames I Do Not Like:
Trouble
The Food Bully
Pot-Bellied Pig (Mom and Dad think they are funny by calling me something with the same initials as Panda Bear)
Poopy Butt (again, not funny, but maybe I should poop on their pillows)

Now, I tag the following kitties:

Captain Jack and Sir Dante of Purrageous Pirates
Queen Snickers and Empress of Royal Kitties
Tybalt, the Prince of Cats

And yesterday on JB’s Small World, she wrote about all the nicknames her Mom has for her and her sisters. So, in the spirit of cat blogosphere collaboration, this is the Nickname Meme, created by JB and Padre.

Here are the rules:
Post a link to the kitty who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
List your real name, how you got your real name, nicknames you like/tolerate, and nicknames you wish your humans would stop calling you.
Tag several kitties, and write a comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Real Name: Padre

Named Padre Because: I am a dark grey tabby with a white patch of fur on my neck. Mom and Dad think that the white patch makes me look like I am wearing a minister’s collar. Padre is Spanish for “Father” as in a priest’s title.

Nicknames I Like/Tolerate:
Big Grey Kitty
Silver
Mr. P.
Bambino!
Puss
Padre-Man

Nicknames I Do Not Like:
Clyde (because I look like one of the kitties who came before me… named Clyde. Sometimes Mom and Dad accidentally call me Clyde.)

Now, I tag my adopted siblings, Panda Bear and Meerkat, as well as:

Miles and Sammy Meezer
Max, The Psychokitty
Buddah
Monty Q. Kat
Poppy Q

here are the meme rules:
* link to the cat who tagged you and post the rules on your blog
* share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
* tag 7 random cats at the end of your post & include links to their blogs
* let them know theyâ€ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I was adopted eight weeks ago into my permanent furrever home. I used to live with someone else, but they left me on the doorstep of a veterinarian’s office earlier this year. I wound up in kitty prison for awhile, although I did not do anything wrong. Then I got rescued from prison in the nick of time by a very nice lady who enrolled me in PetSmart college. I graduated from college and came to live here.

2. I love my Daddy and Mommy very much. I am so grateful to have such a nice furrever home here.  I especially LOVE when Mommy gives me baby food.  Yum, yum, yum, it is my very favorite treat!

3.  I don’t have claws on my front paws, but I do have claws on my back paws. 

4.  I like to chatter at birds. 

5.  I like to yodel.  I especially like to yodel at 2:00 am.  Apparently Clyde (one of the kitties who lived here before who is now at The Rainbow Bridge) also really really liked to yodel.  Since Clyde and I both are grey tabbies, Mom thinks that it is a “grey tabby thing” to yodel.  (Mom was wondering if there are other grey tabbies out there who also like to yodel?  She also wants to know if you yodel if you are not a grey tabby.)

6.  I was injured a long time ago … before I came to this wonderful furrever home.  The bones on my front right pinky toe have healed a little bit out of alignment.

7.  I do some of my best sleeping on Daddy’s lap!  I do not like to nap on Mommy’s lap.

Now, I need to tag some other kitties so that they can do this meme too.  I tag:

Kelly, Lizzie, Caitie, & Nicky from It’s all Good, Chance, and Rocky et al at Artsy Catsy.