Ritual and Religion in Mid Saxon Burial...

[annwfyn]

...is the final title my supervisor and I have agreed upon for my thesis. Yesterday's meeting went surprisingly well. There were no issues, she was positive and enthused, and told me that as far as she can tell my bibliography looks fairly comprehensive, I seem to have a clear idea of where I'm going with it all, and the next step is really to starting writing up.

Go me!

I came out of that meeting practically walking on air. It's hard to describe just how relieved I was, and just how anxious I can get about my Masters. I think, however, that the end of the this year is the right time to leave archaeology. Right now, I'm not the person with the focus to do a DPhil. I need to get my portfolio together, and get my application to Camberwell in. I want to be someone with a specific professional job, and I want to be someone with a direction. That's where I want my focus to be.

I just need to complete this damn portfolio!

In other news, my cats now appear fine! They avoided people for the earlier part of the evening after being brought back from the vets (thus inducing paroxysms of guilt in me) but by late evening appeared to have mostly forgotten. They are now fine, and much less smelly! Speaking of cats, I found this story about a woman who had her cat put down on an LJ community I read sometimes. The story produced some pretty strong responses from everyone who read it, and it got me to pondering as well. Basically, she put down her cat, although healthy, because it didn't seem to be toilet trainable. My gut feeling is that putting down a healthy cat is wrong, but on the other hand I've never had to deal with cat piss everywhere, relentlessly, and I can see it would be quite a miserable experience and I don't entirely know how I'd respond. What do you guys think?

Oh, in random final news, I discovered that at Paddington Station one can not only buy Paddington bear teddies - one can buy Aunt Lucy teddies as well - the bear from deepest, darkest Peru - dressed in full Peruvian traditional costume. This amused me more than words can possibly say!

Comments

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good thesis title, good luck :)

[melsner.livejournal.com]

"dressed in full Peruvian traditional costume"

Does the teddy bear come with a pot with a penis?

I'm sure that if I kept peeing on things, my mother would put me down.

[castorpollux23.livejournal.com]

Congrats on getting the thesis approved, I know it was worrying you. Sounds interesting. I'm about to be in your same boat. Aaaak!

Putting down a cat becasue he wouldn't toilet train... that's a tad extreme, in most cases, but reading the article... it sounded like they didn't have many options. Maybe the cat was unhinged (animals as well as people can go or be born insane.) Sad, though. Very sad.

Bear! Fuzzy fuzzy!

[lilitufire.livejournal.com]

I love my cats to bits. However, I am bloody glad that (one minor mishap aside involving a dropped dishcloth) that Feliway seems to have settled Lucha down and the peeing issues have stopped. A shelter can't home a cat with toilet training issues, and cat pee is awful stuff. However, it was more Lucha's patented unhappiness that was getting to me. She wouldn't come for a cuddle, rarely came out from under the bed, and was obviously depressed.

I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision, but if I had had to, I'm not sure putting her down wouldn't have been kinder than the alternatives.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I dunno. I suppose I'm maybe being a bit misty eyed about cat sanctuaries - I'd like to think that maybe a cat could have a reasonable quality of life in one, and that if surrounded by professionals could possibly have the peeing issue addressed. I know there are charities which won't put a healthy animal down - albeit in this country. Different animal - but one of the dogs that the Dogs Trust offer up for sponsorship is unhomeable due to similar pee related issues, yet is cared for, exercised etc.

I think I'd have at least tried for a no-kill shelter before taking that step. But then, that's just what I _think_ and I've never actually had to deal with any worse than Madoc pissing in his bed once when he was a very little kitten, and TauCat pissing on a jumper once when I had him. I am eternally grateful for this, but am aware that that makes it a lot harder for me to really understand how miserable a really dirty cat must be!

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're mother is a responsible Mike owner tho. I mean, at the very least she should have had you castrated by now!

[lilitufire.livejournal.com]

Well, the thing is, I got Lucha from a cat sanctuary. She was a miserable little ball of fluff hiding behind the cat litter boxes, in the lowest status place there was. We took the risk on her because her and Libre came as a package. I remember how unhappy she was there, though, and I don't think I could do that to her again.

There are little to no provisions for animal shelters in Japan, so I knew if this didn't work out, I'd have to get her put down. There's not exactly much possibility for homing as an outside cat in Tokyo. And she's devoted to me, and scared of almost anyone else. She was miserable without me in Kitty Colditz. So I still think that putting her down would have had to have been the answer.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Yeah...I can see that. Ach. At least she is settling now!

[lilitufire.livejournal.com]

She is snuggled up at my side as I write this having her tummy tickled, having begged for some of my scallop dinner. So I think she's doing fine :)

[fetket.livejournal.com]

Congrats

[melsner.livejournal.com]

Instead, she lets me run around the neighborhood, yowling on fence tops and chasing tail.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Not to mention the smell!

[melsner.livejournal.com]

Occassionally, neighbors bring over litters that they say are mine.

[melsner.livejournal.com]

Oh, and today's happy thought: Cleo is overweight. Pudgy Hellhound.