Lose One, Gain Another

Stuart and I were more afraid of telling our landlord about Binx than we were about the responsibility of keeping him. On the second night, Binx slept in Stuart's bed, kneading away at anything he could get his paws on. He also fell in love with Stuart's giant stuffed dog and mounted like a pro. ...Uh oh!
That night, I bought him a toy and a stuffed puppy dog from the toy section of Wal-Mart. He kneaded the dog to bits and still loves it today. Aggressively, he played with a "Flutter Ball," or a ball with fake feathers on the end. He was spastic, rolling and running and attacking!! It nearly dangerous for us to play with him as hooked his talon-like claws into the toy.

Quickly, a routine was established. Sparta would spend time in the living room with me while Stuart played with Binx in his bedroom. Then, Binx would wander around the house while Sparta stayed in my bedroom. Then, Sparta would get the house again while Binx played outside on his own.
At first, Stuart and I were extremely wary of letting Binx outside alone. First, we refused to do so until we purchased an identification tag and rabies vaccine. Then, we would follow him around at varying distances to let him grow accustomed to his new territory. However, while Binx wants nothing more than to be outside in the grass and the sunshine constantly, his fear of being abandoned or lost again overrides that desire, and he'll stick to our sides like glue. If I try to go inside or close the door, he'll come running from whichever corner of the yard. If I try to close the door when he's inside, he'll come running from whichever corner of the house to go back outside.

The last time I had an outdoor cat, he disappeared. Frisky was my love and joy. He was a Maine Coon mix with a fluffy tail and the sweetest face with a beautiful orange coat. He played, snuggled, licked my ear to wake me up, and was the perfect cat. He was also an indoor/outdoor cat. While we were at school, he played outside in the woods behind our house then came home when we did. One day, Father let him out at his usual time of 5:30 a.m. We returned from school. Hours went by, and no Frisky. We searched the woods, called the animal shelter, and asked the neighbors. Frisky was never seen again.
After this experience, everything in me screams never to let Binx outside without supervision. In fact, I typically pace the windows trying to follow his every movement when he is outside. However, it would be mean to force the outdoor-loving cat into the lifestyle a lazy house cat, and it would be nearly impossible for him to roam and be free as much with him and Sparta refusing to get along. So, outside he goes.

Binx

Soon after we found Binx, however, another stray showed up... this time a young black lab mix. He was boisterous and friendly. He also loved to chase Binx. Where he came from, we never found out, but it was clear to us that he needed to go. Our landlord, who despises dogs, also was fed up with him since he'd wander onto his property looking for treats and a petting. His first encounter with Binx included Stuart making a mad dash for the back door with Binx's talons locked deep into the skin of Stuart's back. He also ran around in the road, begging to be run over. Then, one morning he began howling from loneliness at 8 a.m. continuously. Nope, that was enough!
 That afternoon, Stuart and I loaded him in the back of my Honda and dropped him off at the shelter where he was named Bronco. We knew he'd get adopted: he was still a puppy and gorgeous. Also, he'd be warm and get daily food and clean water. Mission accomplished.
Then, on November 7, disaster struck. As I was playing with Binx outside, my cell phone started ringing. Unable to answer, it went to voice mail. It was my mother calling to tell me that it was time to say good bye to my childhood cat Piddy Paws. For two weeks, Piddy had been struggling to breathe, and the vet said there was nothing they could do for him. It was that day to make the decision every pet owner dreads.

Piddy Paws

15 minutes later, I checked my phone to read two text messages.
One read, "Piddy has taken a turn for the worse. Taking him two vet shortly and depending on what they say, I will decide what to do. Wanted you to know it could be today."
The other said, "Piddy's heart murmur has caused congestive heart failure like I emailed you. Nothing they could do and he was suffering. He is at peace now. I pick up his remains in couple of days as you requested."
As I stared out at Binx pouncing in the overgrown grass, I didn't know how to absorb the shock of the loss of Piddy Paws. What I wanted more than anything was to hold Sparta forever, but he soon wriggled out of my grasp. Devastated as I was, Piddy Paws' death was something I had prepared myself for. I had said my good byes earlier when I first learned that he wasn't doing well. I knew then that it was highly unlikely he would see another Christmas.
Binx will never take Piddy Paws' place. There's no replacing that big, fat, silly cat, but Binx certainly entered my life at the perfect time. And, thankfully our landlord said we could keep him. Thank goodness because I couldn't have lost a second cat in less than a week!

Rest in peace

Memoir of a Cat Part 3

Read Part 1 here!

Read Part 2 here!

****

Before, Sparta was a cool cat that jumped into company’s laps the moment they sat down. Now, he shies away from them until a few hours later. Before, he had Piddy Paws to play with and enjoyed sleeping the day away. Now, he waits sadly for his masters to come home each day wondering if they left for good and refuses to have any other cat or dog in his presence. When we do return home, Sparta refuses to leave our side sitting on the uncomfortable floor beside me when I work even though he could be curled up on a warm blanket or bed. The behavioral changes in him are something I will regret and chastise myself for his entire life because pets are more than pets. They are part of the family, and I hurt my best friend when he had always been there for me.

            Now, Stuart and I happily live together in Sylva as subjects of Sparta’s two-bedroom mobile home kingdom on the banks of Scott Creek. He owns my entire bed and at least half of the couch, spending his days napping and sprinting through the house now that he has a long stretch of hallway again. For Christmas, he received a three-layer kitty tree, which sits next to the window. Sparta’s happiest moments occur there as he climbs like a monkey from layer to layer or sits on top swishing his tail as his eyes follow the birds outside. Even though he has been in this setting for several months, however, Sparta still exhibits the confusion and hurt whenever we both leave and the clinginess when we return after his ordeal. My hope and my goal as I plan out my future after graduation in December 2013 is that Sparta will have a stable life from now on, one filled with love, attention, and as little road trips as possible. As much as he has done for me every day since we began our friendship sophomore year, I believe it is only fair for me to go out of my way and make his life the fullest and longest of any cat that ever lived. 

The End

Memoir of a Cat Part 2

Read part one here!

****

"It was the first night, and Sparta was still nervous and aloof. He missed his companion and his home. He had not yet grown accustomed to my roommates who immediately pounced on him because of his cute face and soft coat. It was the dead of night, but my sub consciousness had been waiting for a sound like the ear-splitting crash that suddenly erupted. Still immersed in darkness, I knew it could mean only one thing: Sparta had knocked over the unstable shelving unit that held my entire collection of snow globes. I flicked on the lights and found glitter, glass, and water all over the ugly carpet of my room. Sparta stood flat against the opposite wall looking scared and not in the least bit sorry. The thought dawned on me that I was in over my head and had never truly been a pet owner before. Was it always going to be like this? With tears in my eyes, my heart ached to have Piddy Paws there and not the Destroyer of Snow Globes as I picked up the large pieces of glass and soaked up the water. Vacuuming the glitter waited until morning.

The dead snow globes

            The next morning, I nearly started packing up Sparta’s belongings to drive him back to my mother’s house. It was not going to work out, I could see that now. He was too rambunctious, and I was feeling guilty for taking him away from his home in the first place. Yet, something stopped me as I watched him sleeping in my beanbag chair. Looking back, if I had taken him home, it would have been the worse decision I would have made.

            Due to the curiosity in his friend’s roommate’s cat, I met my boyfriend Stuart, who increasingly came over to our apartment to play with Sparta. We fell for each other and started dating, thanks to Sparta. Then three months later, Stuart graduated from Western Carolina University and moved to his hometown of Raleigh. We began a painful, lonely one-year long distance relationship. My constant companion and bright star through the entire year was Sparta. He kept me entertained, forced me to get out of bed in the morning, and gave me a living thing to hold at night. Even he knew what it meant when Stuart left, patrolling the apartment and meowing loudly as if looking for him.

Sparta fell in love with Stuart!

            During that time, I also hurt Sparta deeply. In desperation to constantly see Stuart, I often traveled to Raleigh, a five-hour trip from Cullowhee. Because of my few friends and scatter-brained roommates who would most likely kill a fish in a day, I usually dragged Sparta with me. For five hours, Sparta whined and cried down I-40 or settled in my lap between my stomach and the steering wheel wondering when he would never set his foot down on solid ground again. Two nights later, we made the same trip back to Cullowhee with me sobbing at least half an hour of the way after saying good bye to Stuart with Sparta’s pitiful whines in the background.

             After a semester of that, I transferred to UNC-Greensboro to be closer to Stuart. Sparta moved into my new home where there was another male cat and a Labrador retriever. The male cat, Mac, refused to let Sparta out his grasp. Constantly, Mac mounted Sparta and pinned him by biting his neck in his small jaws. It took only a week or two for me to break down in tears over the stress and misery Sparta experienced. I handed him over to Stuart one hour away in Raleigh, heartbroken, promising to bring him back after Mac was neutered. Even then, Mac still abused and tormented my cat. For the rest of the semester, Stuart cared for Sparta, and I spiraled into a deep and deadly bout of depression as I pined away for the cat that had never meant much to me back when Piddy Paws and I were growing up together. Now, I committed so many fouls against my beautiful pet whose personality had started to alter because of the stress of it all."

To be continued...

Life of a Journalist: Top 5

As first published in the September 14th edition of The Western Carolinian...

For this issue's column, I thought I would share some insights, memories and all around fun with a Top 5 list of the greatest stories I have worked on as a journalist for this paper. I have covered it all from the "Before They Were Educators" series to serious coverage of scandals and issues plaguing Jackson County. Here are just five of my favorites.

1. SGA Illegal Voting
In the spring of 2011, I learned from a staff writer that the Student Government Association President and Vice President results for the election were delayed because of illegal voting. Fifteen votes during that election were deemed illegal. I was permitted to attend the investigative committee and write an article on the investigation and election, which determined TJ Eaves was President and Alecia Page Vice President. What I did not expect was runner-up Doug Bridges calling me on my cell phone late one night for an in-depth interview about his side of the story. Due to some finagling by former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell, we delayed printing long enough to get both stories in the next issue. The article took many late nights and long hours, but at the 2012 N.C. College Media Association Conference, Caudell and I received an Honorable Mention award for the story.

2. Food Shortage in Jackson County
This was a very moving story that involved many people, who I cannot thank enough for their assistance and dedication to their work. Amy Grimes at The Community Table in Sylva helped in pulling their records and giving me numbers of statistics from their organization. Also, Alison Hixson and Leigh Puttus at MANNA FoodBank in Asheville assisted extensively in making sure I had all the factual information I needed by emailing me various links and research. That article became the longest piece I had ever written and one that I am the proudest of.

3. "A Chorus Line" preview
Since my introduction to "CATS," I have been obsessed with Broadway musicals. For that reason, I began at The Western Carolinian as an Arts and Entertainment writer. One of my first stories was interviewing Charlotte D'Amboise, who directed Western Carolina's production of "A Chorus Line." D'Amboise made me feel right at home with her even though I was extremely nervous as we settled  into a small table at Starbucks in the Courtyard Dining Hall. Enthusiastic about the show, she gave me a great interview. After we wrapped up and I was back at Walker Hall working on the article, I realized that D'Amboise had worked with my all-time favorite Broadway actor Michael Gruber! I still smile remembering my dropped jaw as I put the pieces together. Think of all the interview questions I would have asked if I had known that before the meeting!

D'Amboise and Gruber

4. The Freshman Fifteen, Pound 9
It is not often that I get the chance to be funny to in my writing. My big comedy break came through my editorial column that I wrote as a freshman known as "The Freshman Fifteen." The craziest thing about that column was that there was a banner created to go with it (as seen below), and it was printed in the paper nearly every time. However, the banner only read "The Freshman" with a fork and knife framing the words that sat on a plate. No one ever fixed it, and I don't know if anyone ever said anything about it. It was always just plain funny to me! In "Pound 9," I wrote about what two weeks of my life were like suffering from bronchitis while having to attend classes and walk to the Courtyard Dining Hall for nourishment.It was the most miserable two weeks of my life. I renamed my laptop Kayne West because of its attitude, discovered a website of jigsaw puzzles and became addicted to Pixy Stix. It was a heck of a two weeks, documented for all of WCU to read.

5. The "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala"
In January 2010, I attend the "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala" at the former Fine and Performing Arts Center, otherwise known as FPAC. The performance, beautiful and entertaining, was not what made the event stand out. No, it was actor and musical theater student Jonathan Cobrda. During the first number, Cobrda purposefully fell from the stage nearly into the lap of an elderly woman in the front row. It was not until the house lights came back on during intermission that everyone saw the large pool of blood surrounding the woman. Cobrda had accidentally bumped into the woman's ankle and reopened her stitches from a previous injury. Completely unaware, she sat in the dark bleeding until intermission. EMTs arrived and carried her out on a stretcher as the small audience watched on with open mouths. Cobrda continued his performance in the second act without a hitch. Over a year later, I met Cobrda in a Ballroom Dance class. He introduced himself, and I smiled.
"I know who you are," I replied. "You're the one who made that poor woman bleed when you fell off the stage."
The look on his face was priceless, and he laughed. We have been good friends ever since! 

Jonathan and I after a Ballroom recital

The Must List, Sept. 16

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, nothing original anyway. Life has been nothing but busy and bustle. When I do get time off from doing homework and working on the newspaper, the very last thing I want to do is write. As sad as it is, it's the truth.
Still, here is a new Must List!

1. "Parenthood" Season 3 on Instant NetFlix
Finally, finally, finally!!!! I'm so excited to watch this next season. Already, it's been fantastic. The road trip episode, Max running away, Christina setting her foot down... it's as good as usual but never as good as "Brothers & Sisters."

2. "One More Night" by Maroon 5
This is the new song that I can't get enough of. Well, one of the new ones...

3. "Runnin'" by Adam Lambert
This song is a bonus track on the deluxe Trespassing album. It is a beautiful song with a moving topic. As always, Adam has my musical heart!!

"My heart's beating faster, I know what I'm after.
I've been standing here my whole life,
Everything I've seen twice, now it's time I realize
It's spinnin' back around now, on this road I'm crawling
Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right
Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'
Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'
Runnin' from my heart."

4. Fresh melon slice-scented candle
I found one of these at Rite-Aid. It smells delicious. It's like a melon-flavored Air Head. I've suddenly taken a re-interest in candles. Right now, I have the melon slice scent, warm vanilla cream, banana nut bread, fresh cotton sheets, a candle rope for the bathroom, and a mixed blend from the Outer Banks.

5. Mast General Store in Waynesville
Imagine: barrels and barrels and barrels of overflowing CANDY! Air Heads, hot cinnamon pops, Smarties, Hershey's Kisses, Lemonheads, Nerds, chocolate malt balls, Double Bubble gum, rock candy, lollipops, Hello Kitty-themed candy, Hot Tamales, and so much more... it's my paradise!!

6. "It's Only a Job" mug
I bought a mug that fit me perfectly from the Bradley's General Store in Dillsboro. I thought I could gently poke fun at my staff writers at the next assignment meeting for The Western Carolinian! :)

Our Take

Every issue, there's a small story in the upper left corner of the Campus Views page called "Our Take." And, every issue I write a small blurb about something important to The Western Carolinian as a whole. Here's "Our Take" from the Back to School double issue.

"If this is your first time picking up The Western Carolinian, we would like to welcome you to Western Carolina University and to our newspaper.
It is a small newspaper, but we have taken on the "big dogs" in several award ceremonies and come away happy. Our staff is a family unit of good friends that come together on a regular basis in different events in our offices, in the classroom and out in the Jackson County community. Together, we hike through the great outdoors, see movies, volunteer at local non-profit organizations and strive to participate within our community that we report on every day.

We describe ourselves and our paper as "a college newspaper [that] serves the entire college community by reporting the news, including college events and activities, providing a forum for comment and criticism and encouraging the free expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
At The Western Carolinian, we believe in the policy of "student run." All of our decisions fall on both two Co-Editors-in-Chief with input from their section editors and staff writers. Each staff member and both Co-Editors are full-time students learning what it takes to be a journalist, photographer or designer.
We encourage you, the reader, to express yourself in any form through The Western Carolinian. It is the campus newspaper for Western Carolina University and its community, which includes all of you.
"As a vehicle for free inquiry and free expression in the college community," we accept all mediums of guest work, including hard-hitting news stories, photographs, poetry and opinion pieces. We also offer paying jobs and are currently looking for staff writers. In a newspaper environment, the staff learned every day the importance of working well under pressure, making deadlines, AP style writing, being a member of a team and many other skills.
Come find out more about us. We are located in the Old Student Union building across the street from Moore. Go through the front door, down the hall, across the expanse of the conference room to the little hally. Our offices are there on the right. Follow us via Facebook or check out website at www.westerncarolinian.com. If you do not feel up to writing a piece for publication, send us any type of feedback.  We hope to hear from you. Have a great year, Catamounts!

Life of a Journalist 4: Summer in Cullowhee

As originally published in The Western Carolinian newspaper of Western Carolina University...

"This was my first full summer in Cullowhee and Sylva since coming to Western Carolina University in the fall of 2009.
Soon after exams were over, I moved into a two-bedroom mobile home near the heart of Sylva and began working on the summer issues of The Western Carolinian in my new home.

Never before had I experienced the mountains in the summer. I always spent my summers at my childhood home or in a big city like Raleigh. I must say that staying in the mountains was better.
For the first month, we avoided the nasty, oppressing heat and enjoyed cool mornings with heavy fog. For the first time in my life, I wore long-sleeved shirts and fuzzy pajama pants with bleating sheep across the fabric around the house until mid-June. My confused body shivered and formed small goose bumps until late into the summer. By the time I started wearing sundresses and shorts, half of the summer had disappeared.

Stuart playing in Bridge Park

The activities available here in the summer are more enticing than those in the city. There was river rafting, hiking, Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Junaluska, the Farmer's Market and all sorts of free concerts every week. Western Carolina University offered belly dancing instruction, the Sylva library had free movies and the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad celebrated Pioneer Weekend.
Meanwhile, work continued at The Western Carolinian offices with only two writers, one photographer, Ryan Alexander and myself. We were a small bunch, but we tackled whatever came our way. We didn't see each other as much as during the school year from scrambling around trying to pull a 12-page paper together with only four writers and little advertising. Still, it was enjoyable and somewhat relaxing because of how well we all worked together.
One of the biggest events we covered this summer was the public meeting about the future construction of Old Cullowhee Bridge. As a reporter, I presented the information through this newspaper as factual. As a resident of Jackson County, I was caught up in the emotion that flew around that room as several citizens came forward to passionately defend the Cullowhee Auto Service, which may or may not have to be demolished.
The whole idea of the construction caused a great stir in the community and will continue to cause one until construction is complete. Whether or not you use the bridge to get from one place to another, you will know someone who does. Old Cullowhee Road is a major artery of our little towns, and that bridge will cause strife whether or not it also causes the removal of a few local businesses. Right now, we wait and hold our breaths to hear the latest news of which alternate the NCDOT will chose as their preferred construction method (NOTE: After this was written, the NCDOT announced their decision. Cullowhee Auto Service has been saved!).
Right before school began, Co-Editor Alexander and I were going through Seminar Week, a week of staff bonding, team-building and training for staff members and ourselves. On the schedule, we had seminars like Media Law, Journalism Photography, Article Critique and Investigative Reporting.
Our speakers included former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell and Kelly Donaldson, a former writer for The Western Carolinian and current editor of the Crossroads Chronicle. Also during the week, the staff came together for movie nights, a welcome back party and hiking trips.
The week ended with Valley Ballyhoo on Aug. 18, where we united at a table to encourage new students to join our team in reporting Western Carolina University news. It was a busy, action-packed week in preparation for another amazing year at The Western Carolinian."

Painting at Claymate's in Dillsboro