The road to hell was paved with good intentions, or so I'm told. Well, the fact that I haven't accomplished much at the workbench this week stems from the fact that Smokey, our own Feline Unit Number Two, is a whirling dynamo of energy who also has a case of cabin fever–and, being a cat, has that innate curiosity gene. We let him graduate from just the Master Bathroom to the Master Suite, and that's where he's spent the last week. We're careful to split our attention between both Feline Units, as Junior the Mighty Tiger would not be amused should we not pay him the attention ascribed to his mightiness. I've been spending the nights with Smokey, and my wife has been keeping Junior company.
Well, there's another thing–Smokey's a kitten for all intents and purposes, and he's used to being his own cat and roaming free at night. Operative words in the phrase–roaming at night. Smokey's got this soft little voice when he wants to be sweet, but when he wants either attention or food, that soft little mew becomes a yowl. A rather loud yowl. And, since he and Alicia Bridges share a passion for the night life, he has limited my sleep to maybe four hours a night. And, when I get aggravated about it I remember that Junior did the same thing when he was Smokey's age. Even so, it has been a little tense…
Another thing that I am realizing is that Smokey is as Junior was when we were first adopted by Junior–Smokey's a scrawny little thing, still in possession of his, er, equipment. Junior was a little bigger than Smokey is now, but today Junior is weighing in at nearly 15 pounds–that's right, he's our own pot-bellied cat. It has become evident over the past few days just how pot-bellied the June-Bug is–I can pick Smokey up one-handed (if he doesn't try to squirm away, which he is quite adept at doing), but Junior is a heft to pick up. Of course, Junior has been dis-armed, and that tends to add some weight to a cat. We're hoping that Smokey will keep Junior moving, which will get his weight down.
Speaking of disarmament, Smokey is scheduled to go back to the Tiger Doctor on Tuesday for his own de-milling. He's also going to get his FIV and FeLeuk tests, as well as have his runny eye re-examined. We're hopeful that all goes well, the tests are negative, and we can finally get Junior and Smokey together at a face-to-face summit. We're waiting, because A: His weight notwithstanding, Junior is a healthy cat, and we want to keep it that way; 2: We'll need to know about FIV and FeLeuk anyway on the off-chance that Smokey and Junior don't get along, as we'll need to find Smokey a good home; and C: I don't need Smokey to start spraying to mark his stuff from Junior's. As I said, we're hopeful all goes well–early indications seem to indicate that, while they may scuffle at first, the two will get along. All we need now is a clean bill of health on the little guy.
Meanwhile, he stays in the Master Suite.
And, just as I think we might have a slow period at work, as soon as the last airplane left, a new one rolled in for work. It is in for an inspection and we have a short turn-around time, so we worked a bit today (Saturday). I'm hoping all goes well with the inspection so we can deliver when promised, since I won't have time next weekend–the local AMPS Chapter is hosting their Inaugural Contest, and I have to be there…
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I did manage to get some decal work done on the 1995 Silver Select Monte Carlo.
Those of you with sharp eyes can see the inside represents a round-side car while the exterior is slab-sided. Apparently, Monogram did what they tended to do when it came to race cars in the mid- to late-1990's and based the model on a show or rollout car. The car as actually raced had slab sides. A few strips of Evergreen and some Polyester Glazing Putty later, and Bob's your uncle. You probably also caught the decal film, and that's a tough thing to deal with on silver surfaces. I plan on giving the whole thing a coat or two of Future, so that ought to blend everything together nicely. I started this with a set of Mooseworks Decals that I bought when I bought the kit in 1995, but they got brittle and shattered when I soaked them, even after a few coats of liquid decal film. My wife found a set of RaceScale decals-what a sweetie she is! They worked quite nicely–they even had the contingencies, so I didn't need to use the discolored kit decals!
I have some touch up work to do, both to the silver and the Chevy Engine Red interior areas. The chassis and roll cage have their base coat of Engine Red, too. I have to paint the padding, engine, and the little detail painting, them assemble the lot. I'm hoping to get time and motivation back on my side soon.
In the meantime, be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.