Kittens and Gladiator/Hunger Games Cats

A cat wandered to our house a while ago. She was pregnant and tiny. The general consensus was that if she gave birth, both her and offspring would die, but a few weeks later there were little kitten mews coming from below the porch. A week or two after that, Momma Kitty let her kittens explore and play with me. It was noticed that the mother's fur sparkled in the sun, and when she licked my hand, leaving it sparkly, she was named Sparkle Spit. Her little tabby kitten will crawl right up in your lap and bite any wrinkles or creases in your pants. Because of this, she is Captain Spunk. C.P. for short. Captain Spunk's sister is very quiet and timid. She hisses at people a lot, which is odd considering how friendly her sister is. This little one, who is the same creamy orange and white as her mother, is named Spirit. She has a little white streak under each eye, like the ones people put on at ball games with paint.

The little things are adorable. They have short, little tails and are so fluffy. It reminds me of when Insta-Purr and Lil-Bit were that big. Miniature fluff balls of doom. They still leap at one another's  throats for fun. I tend to refer to that as playing Gladiator, or, if they're outside and bouncing off trees, playing Hunger Games.

Family Fun With Boogers

In Elementary, boogers are the grossest things in the world, but somehow funny. I provide you now with a little game. I learned about it when listening to a CD my father was playing. English Majors was the title. The person speaking on the CD at the time said that, in fourth grade, he would take a movie title and replace one word with the word "booger" or "boogers," just to get a laugh from his classmates. This can transfer into a fun car game for long trips or just something to do when you are bored. Here's what I came up with.

Black Boogers (Black Books)

Sky Captain and the Booger of Tomorrow (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow)

Mountains of Boogers (Mountains of the Moon)

The Secret Life of Boogers (The Secret Life of Bees)

Lonesome Booger (Lonesome Dove)

Booger Grit (True Grit)

O Booger, Where Art Thou? (O Brother Where Art Thou?)

The Booger Princess (The Little Princess)

Finding Boogers (Finding Nemo)

Booger Boy (Steam Boy)

The Dark Booger (The Dark Crystal)
Where the Wild Boogers Are (Where the Wild Things Are)

Kung Fu Booger (Kung Fu Panda)

Pale Booger (Pale Rider)

A Midsummer Night's Booger (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

The Merchant of Boogers (The Merchant of Venice)

Love's Boogers Lost (Love's Labors Lost)

As You Like Boogers (As You Like It)

Rikki-Tikki-Booger (Rikki-Tikki-Tavi)

Little Shop of Boogers (Little Shop of Horrors)

The Remains of the Booger (The Remains of the Day)

The Perfect Booger (The Perfect Score)

A Booger with a View (A Room with a View)

A Room with a Booger (A Room with a View)

Phantom of the Booger (Phantom of the Opera)

Second Hand Boogers (Second Hand Lions)

This isn't a game for just movie titles though. It works just as well with books. If you look at someone's bookshelf and burst into giggles because you did this to their books in your head, people might start thinking you're crazy, unless you explain.

Fellowship of the Booger (Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien)

The Wizard of Boogers (The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum)

What-the-Booger (What-the-Dickens by Gregory Maguire)

Here There Be Boogers (Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen)

Booger Rider (Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke)

The Screwtape Boogers (The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis)

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Boogers (The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Booger (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Boogers (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling)


Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Boogers (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling)

Harry Potter and the Booger of the Phoenix (Harry Potter and the Booger of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling)


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Boogers (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling)


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Booger (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling)


Harry Potter and the Deathly Booger (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling)

Booger Like This, Cat (It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville)

The Tales of Booger-the-Pooh (The Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by Ernest H. Shepherd)

The Hunger Boogers (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)


The Booger Games (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)


Catching Boogers (Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins)

Letter to Comics

Dear Comics,

Do you recall when I would anticipate visiting my grandparents, just so that I could dig you out of the newspaper and curl up on the couch? I haven't forgotten. Stories told in pictures. Laughter brought to light on page. Maybe you were one simple box. Maybe you were several. I grew up borrowing my dad's books of Calvin and Hobbs, completely relating to the ones about the monster's under Calvin's bed and Hobbs's surprise attacks. Insta-Purr does that in the dark when you can't see him, other than his green eyes and white teeth that is.

Hello graphic novels. Which one of you was my first? I think the first I read was my father's Mouse Guard books. I now have nineteen of my own. It's not many, but it's enough for now. I remember sitting before the bookshelves at Borders, shifting through the new ones I hadn't seen before. I will always miss curling up with you there.

At this point I must address webcomics. There are nineteen of you guys currently bookmarked on my computer. Nineteen seems to be my number when it comes to comics, doesn't it? Girl Genius, you get most of the blame for this. If it wasn't for you I would have probably been a little less enthusiastic. Thank you and curse you. I now have a slight addiction.

I cannot write to/about comics without mentioning comic books. Comic books, I'm sorry. I don't have any experience with you, no past to draw happy memories from. Perhaps one day, we will have spent some time together in a nice quiet spot. Until then, I will regret not knowing you.

To all comics, I give a warm thanks. I would have a lot more free time with nothing to do, if I lived in a world without you. Less to read and draw.

Your Friend,
Kara