Skysometric — Sky's Journal

Follow this blog on Tumblr!
skysometricAug 3rd, 2023
skysometric

the audio got SO fucked on tonight's stream btw. i thought it'd be an easy repair but it turns out the delay fluctuates back and forth throughout the whole video. OOPS

this is gonna be tough to recover so the vod's not going up next day like usual lol

skysometric

there must be some weird timing mismatch on my snes setup because i’ve found the magic number: the audio slowly drifts up to 60 frames behind, and then every 20 minutes 59 seconds it suddenly corrects itself. holy MOLY

luckily repairing this isn’t too hard since it’s consistent

Aug 3rd, 2023

Taking Up Space

sad news: over the weekend we had to say goodbye to our beloved Smokey Joe, a gray tabby cat of 16 years, and one of four cats in our household. early last week we found him paralyzed in his back legs and tail, and his health simply declined from there. he lived a good long life filled with love, so we have no regrets.

this video sums up his personality. taken by my partner @harmonyfriends, as with all of the pictures here.

smokey was a playful, talkative, affectionate kitty. he would talk back when we said his name or asked him questions, answering with little “myows” and “mrahs.” he was never much of a lap cat, but he loved to curl up next to us and rub up against us. he enjoyed playing chase around the house, just for the thrill of running back and forth.

image

Smokey in his Morph Ball form.

his very favorite place was the “cat pile,” our big bed of comfy blankets and pillows, where my partner and i and all of the cats would go curl up after a long day. he was usually the first to join us; he’d situate himself between our legs and bury his nose in his favorite blanket, purring as loud as can be. the cat pile is already emptier without him, and we’ll miss his presence dearly.

image

Smokey (back) is survived by his sister Lily (front).

but, like many cats, he was also a little menace sometimes.

for every nice thing i just listed, he had an annoying side. he was talkative, sure, which led to him wailing at 4am for no particular reason other than asking for company. he enjoyed playing rough – sometimes without warning, leading to lots of sharp scratches. he loved to curl up with us in bed, but when he was unhappy he’d pee on the bed, forcing us to clean up after him and lock him out of the room for a while. this, in addition to all the regular maintenance that comes with a cat (or rather, four of them!).

so when he wailed i’d get up and wrap him in a blanket so he’d get some sleep. and when we played i learned how to avoid his sensitive spots, just as he learned how to keep his claws from coming out. and when the bed smelled like pee, we’d clean it up and welcome him back on the bed with us before long.

after all, he’s worth that love, and i wouldn’t trade him for the world.

image

nestled in a blanket, happy as can be.

i’m sure in your time on the internet you’ve come across some flavor of post that says “you deserve to take up space.” if you’re like me, growing up to be proud of how little space you take up, it probably hit you hard! but it also paints a picture of something we’ve never been allowed to see. what does it look like to take up space, to not be pushed away, to still be deserving of love?

it looks like Smokey Joe, who we affectionately called a “pissbaby” in between hugs and kisses.

smokey’s story is an illustration of what it looks like to take up space, how the same ways we share joy are sometimes the same ways we go overboard. but it’s also an illustration of how to love someone who takes up space, how to be patient with them and grow with them.

so i want to carry his memory by living both sides of that coin – sharing more of myself even when it’s ugly, while allowing others to do the same. after all, how else are we supposed to show our love?