The Meerkat Muse: 9th of April, 2025
Welcome back to the rich, welcoming aroma of the Meerkat Muse! Let’s kick off with a bit of stress from two weeks ago today…
The Vagrant
I was drawing down the working day, when I had an unexpected visit from one of the staff working next door. She had a problem, in the form of a vagabond who had laid down on one of their display beds, and was refusing to leave their showroom. He was being rude and difficult, and despite the presence of the employee’s husband, continued to refuse to budge. He told me to, um, go away and fornicate, and was proving quite intransigent.
I suggested calling the police, and that this stage, the lady handed me the phone to speak to them. Quite why she did this I am not entirely sure. This related to her workplace, after all! Nonetheless, as soon as it became apparent that I was calling the police, this miscreant got up, gathered his things (eight cans of beer), and made some snarky remarks as he left. I sheepishly stood the police down, and went back to my showroom to close up. It was a bit of drama that I had not expected, and did not need.
Castiel makes a Friend?
Of late, it seems my cat, Castiel, has made a feline friend. He is not usually receptive to other cats, and there’s one cat, Spartacus, with whom there is a mutual dislike. However, recently another cat, a black, fluffy kitty, with an unusual, curled tail, has been virtually camping outside our house all day, and they seem to be interested in befriending Castiel. Castiel has been a little standoffish, but not completely, suggesting he’s not entirely uncomfortable around this cat. It’s unexpected, but nice, even if this new cat is a little shy around my wife, daughter and I. Mind you, they’ve tried to come into the house several times, so they’re not that shy!
Book News
Firstly, I am happy to say that I am making good progress with the final instalment of The Chon’ith Saga. I’ve written approximately 20,000 words, though I still haven’t figured out the ending!
Sickly and Icky
Over the past few months I have managed to stave off illness, but the other week my powers of resistance faltered, my defences crumbled, and I came down with a cold. Patient Zero is my daughter, who probably picked something up from school, and from there it ripped through the household. I’ve had streaming eyes, sore sinuses, a groggy skull, and that horrible sensation of needing to swallow, but irritating the already-aggravated sinuses whenever I do.
Ah well. I’ve done quite well to avoid feeling ill over the winter, it’s just bloody annoying for it to happen, just as spring, um, springs! I can’t tell if the cold and flu medication is having an impact, and I have the concern that hay-fever might be playing a part, as pollen levels have been high. Then again, I don’t tend to suffer from hay-fever until later in the year, so this is probably all cold. It clung to me like an unwanted… um… thing, and drove me mad. I despise having colds, it offends me that somehow, human beings can be rendered so weak by bacteria and viruses. It’s faintly absurd.
Raging Insanity
It seems the Tangerine Tyrant really is taking the USA right back to the hey-day of fascism. With ICE agents arresting US citizens, visitors being detained for weeks in detention centres, and the assumption that tattoos equate to nefarious activity, and those with legitimate visas being arrested and deported, it seems there is a common thread through most of these incidents: those who are critical of Trump’s regime, or expressing opinions that are contrary to Trump, are the ones being targeted.
The draconian policies being enacted have affected tourists, and one has to wonder what the long-term implications will be for the tourist trade. The USA has historically been quite a popular destination for a lot of tourists around the globe; between these events, the aggressive rhetoric, and the damaging trade wars (which will hurt Americans as much as anyone else), you have to wonder where the USA is headed as a nation. I wish I could say I’m shocked, but I’m not. Saddened, but not shocked.
Speaking of Insanity…
I recently became aware of an hilarious and nonsensical ‘response’ to something I’d written in my previous Muse. This ‘response’, aimed at an imaginary construct version of me, is as ignorant as it is cowardly. The person who wrote it is best defined as a fool, whose approach to pretty much everything seems defined by encouragement of uncertainty.
Manic Sundays
Back on Mother’s Day, whilst firmly in the grip of my cold, I wound up having a lot to do at work, which in some respects was good – I put a lot of money through the till, so to speak – but in other ways it was exhausting. I should be happy about doing business, but feeling as yucky as I did, I could not muster much enthusiasm. All I wanted was for the cold to shift, for it was making me miserable. I had a good Monday too, in terms of sales, but I still felt rough, and some news – not directly affecting me – with the potential to rock the work boat in a big way, did nothing for my mood.
Epic Wednesdays
Back in January, Nintendo teased the Switch 2, and I really do mean tease. The brief video gave little away, beyond confirming the new console would be bigger, and that most existing Switch software would be compatible with the new console. On the 2nd of April Nintendo finally provided concrete information about their next piece of hardware, and boy was this meerkat ready for it!
If I said I was glued to the TV for an hour, that would be an understatement. I was hypnotised by this announcement, and all the information it revealed. I am saving the date of the 5th of June, and might have to book that day off work! I’ll be doing a big post about the Switch 2, so for those of you who are interested in gaming, or this meerkat’s love of gaming, stay tuned for that.
Freaky People
Following delivering my daughter to school, I took a leisurely stroll home, and in the course of doing so a random guy walked past me, and a few others, muttering to himself. This isn’t exactly unusual – I sometimes do! – but what he was saying was faintly disturbing. He spoke of punching people, and cleaving skin from faces. He seemed very angry, and it will come as no surprise that a lot of other passersby were granting him a wide berth. There could be a lot of speculation as to the reasons for his remarks, but what would be the point? I have no idea what drove this guy to mouth off in such a rageful way, and I hope he is alright.
Noisy Times
Last week, following a health and safety check, the powers-that-be decided that we need more emergency lighting at work. I suspect this work was more for insurance purposes than any real safety need, and it was annoying, for it was loud! I missed one of the two days of this, but the day I caught… I didn’t like! My preference is for peace and quiet – insofar that retail allows this – so half a day with drilling, hammering, and all the sounds associated with electrical work did not thrill me.
A Gradual Recovery
As this Muse cycle draws toward its close, the cold has been lifting, albeit not fast enough for my liking. I am still a bit snotty, and my ears still occasionally feel like they need to pop, but overall, I feel like I’ve more or less moved beyond feeling rough. Still, I remain contemplative of where my future rests. The job search is continuing.
With that, I draw this particular Muse to a close, and I bid you adieu 🙂
