Civil Disobedience, TV Predictions, and What the Hell's That in My Toothpaste?

I just finished editing a draft, so scattershot entry this week. We’ll start with an update on Stray Kitty. The Borough says I can’t legally feed him any more. I say, what the Borough doesn’t know won’t hurt it. I gave the bowls and the cat food away to a neighbor with indoor pets. That doesn’t mean SK’s going without. I still keep a couple cans of Fancy Feast on hand. If I see him or if he comes to the door, he gets fed. I give him about fifteen minutes and then bring the dish in. No evidence, no fines.

I recently learned my other neighbor who was feeding him has similarly gone on the sly. She puts food out around 5:30 am and takes the dishes in around 7. If the word has spread as I think it has, I’m sure anyone else who’s been feeding cats is also taking precautions. I don’t see Stray Kitty as often as I used to, but I notice he doesn’t seem to have lost any weight.

I haven’t seen the big gray tabby since I stopped putting the bowls out. He was fending for himself long before I started offering food, so I’m not worried about him. Maybe when next winter rolls around I’ll look into finding some outfit that’ll catch the kitties and rehabilitate them or relocate them to a better environment. Then we won’t have to defy the local government.

I haven’t seen any skunks around yet. I’m not feeding them either. They’re on their own.

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Supernatural wrapped up its ninth season Tuesday night, and I’m proud to announce I successfully predicted the big twist cliffhanger (SPOILER ALERT): Dean dies and is resurrected as a demon. I’ve been hoping for Evil Dean as the Season 10 big bad for some time now. They have 23 episodes to get through next year, so we’ll see how long this lasts.

Here’s how I’d write it: we need some kind of plot to take up time, so what the hell, let’s spring Michael and Lucifer from their cage in Hell. Battling them should take up most of the season. Then towards the end Sam cures his brother (a “demon cure” was introduced back in Season 8), which completes the trials (also introduced in Season 8) and closes the gates of Hell. That would be the perfect way to wrap up the series, if that’s the way they’re headed. Guess it’ll depend on the ratings. The actors have said they’re willing to continue for as long as the show stays on the air. It’s a steady, well-paying job in a bad economy. Can you blame them?

I’m not sure what they’ll do with Castiel. He lost his grace in the Season 8 finale and became human, then stole another angel’s grace in Season 9 and powered up again. Now that grace is fading, which could kill him. Unless he finds another one, or recovers his own. He might be forced into vampirism, stealing grace from other angels to keep himself alive. Maybe he’s the one who frees Mike and Luci, hoping to suck up their graces. Or maybe he’ll explode again. He does that a lot.

Next season could be the end of the line for my favorite show. I’d better start writing now, and pile up ideas while it’s still on. The book I just finished is the latest in a string of works inspired by the show. What am I going to do when it’s gone? I may have to look for a job.

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The other day I bought toothpaste, and not my usual brand. This one was on sale, and is designed for us older folks with sensitive gums and thinner enamel. The first thing I noticed was a difference in taste. The old farts’ toothpaste doesn’t taste as good as the cool kids’ toothpaste. Why not?

Fearing the worst, I dug up the old tube and checked the ingredients. That’s where I found this beauty: “sodium saccharin.” Say what? Isn’t sodium salt? Isn’t saccharin a type of sweetener? That’s right, folks, your toothpaste is designed to appeal to your sweet and salty taste buds. This is so you don’t object to putting it in your mouth twice a day. I hope the fluoride cancels out any negative side effects.

Here are the “inactive ingredients” you get in your average tube of Colgate: water, hydrated silica (isn’t that wet sand?), glycerin, sorbitol, PVM/MA copolymer (sounds like a building material), sodium laurel sulfate, cellulose gum, flavor (type not specified; mint?), sodium hydroxide, propylene glycol, carrageenan (Huh? Whuzzat?), sodium saccharin, titanium hydroxide. Quite the chemical laundry list there. Happy Googling.

The question also arises as to why, if soft bristle toothbrushes are the only ones you should use, manufacturers even bother to make toothbrushes with hard bristles. Why not make all soft ones? Somebody at a dental convention once asked this question of a toothbrush manufacturer, and never quite got a straight answer. Maybe the hard bristles are for scrubbing out toilets. Maybe that’s what the carrageenan is for.

Isn’t there a leaf you can chew that does the same thing? What did Native Americans do?

I’d like to point out that nothing on that list prevented me from needing a root canal a couple of months ago. So to hell with toothpaste. I’m going back to writing like mad while Supernatural is still on the air. Enjoy your Memorial Day!