The GOW war between Tanada and myself is proceeding nicely.  A couple of
nights ago, I was awakened at about 2 am from a dream where a massive crowd
was staring at me while I was going to the bathroom.  I jerked myself awake
(I've been known to have that bathroom thing become real, if my allergies
and medications are messed up) and found myself staring into a cat's face
less than two inches from my own.  Tanada was obviously enjoying herself at
my expense.  Her partner in crime, Huey, was camped upon my right kidney, or
in the general area of it.  I got away from the two of them and visited the
porcelain chair, then found QC, Huey, Sonya, and Qui Gun Kit sleeping on my
side of the bed when I came back (I was only gone for a couple of minutes,
honest) to bed.  Tanada was camped upon Rob's right hip, and I swear she had
a huge grin on her face.  I didn't feel generous and moved QC out of the way
so that I could try to snuggle around the other cats.  Merlin stood up,
stretched, yawned, and moved from beside Rob's feet,  into the spot that QC
had abandoned.  Tanada had recruited reinforcements.

Later, I took Charles to work and came back to find Tanada had taken over
the gooshy pillow that I often hug at night.  She was purring and kneading
it.  I climbed back into bed and found myself face to face with her.  She
was still kneading the gooshy pillow, but a hard look had come into her
eyes.  I glared back at her and the stare war was on.

In the past I've won every stare war Tanada and I've ever had.  I would look
through her eyes as thought I were checking out the back of her brain.  She
would become uncomfortable and blink, then look away.  In fact, up until the
other day, she would avoid me if I were to focus on her eyes.  So I was
pretty confident in my ability to rout Tanada.

Not this time.  Tanada slitted her eyes and stared into my brain.  I could
feel her mind winding it's way though mine and not being too impressed with
what it found there.  She seemed to find a lot of used litter and yard sale
remains laying around and taking up space.  Ashamed, I blinked and dropped
my eyes from hers.  A slow smile spread across her face, eventually becoming
the largest grin I'd ever seen on a cat.

She didn't even have to boop me this time.  Tanada had won again.

Pam S.