I'm freakin' out here

[delalluvia]

OK, I'm trying desperately to come up with a rational explanation for what I just discovered.

A few days ago, I got out my "stink finder".  It's long-wave UV light which detects stains in carpets, etc.  It's about the size of a small flashlight.

Matter of fact, in addition to the UV bulb, it has a regular flashlight on one end.

I had used the UV part and then left it sitting on my desk for a few days now. 

I just came home from work and found the flashlight on.

I didn't use that part of the flashlight.  It wasn't on and hasn't been for days.

Who turned it on?

It has a switch, one of those flat slide buttons that sit in the middle for 'off' then you click it to one side to turn on the UV, and you click it past off and then to the other side to click 'on[' the regular flashlight part.

The switch side was face down on the desk.  The only way it can be accidentally turned on is if someone was exerting pressure down on it and slid the switch over the edge of my desk to catch the edge to flip it on.  Then shoved it back again.

My cats?  Is it possible for them to do that?

   

[Kelda]

Yeah your cats could have knocked it or its been in the almost on position and so its clcked into the on position itself?

[Katie77]

Yeah, must have been the cats........

Unless the drawers and cupboards of your home were open and stuff thrown all over the place...

[delalluvia]

Yeah your cats could have knocked it or its been in the almost on position and so its clcked into the on position itself?

The only problem I have with the cat theory is that once my cats start rubbing on something that's on a table/chair/counter, they seldom rub back and forth, they usually only rub in one direction until they knock it off and onto the ground.  This was not on the edge of the desk, it was about two inches back from the edge.  I felt the desk and light to see how warm it was - to gauge how long it had been on.

The desk was warm. 

[injest]

hmmm....ok that is freaky...you sure no one else is there, right?

have you had any work done in your apartment? maybe an exterminator or maint man?

[cmr107]

Oooh, creepy. My friends and I were just telling ghost stories last night, but I won't go into that here...

Unless you want me to. 

[Katie77]

Maybe you flicked the switch without realizing it, when you turned the UV part of it off.....

Other than that.....or the cats.......it must have been the phantom torch turner onner....

He comes to our place sometimes when the grandkids are here, when I ask "who left that torch on and flattened the battery".......they shrug and say  "not me"........so I know from experience, that there is such a thing as the phantom torch turner onner.....

[delalluvia]

hmmm....ok that is freaky...you sure no one else is there, right?

I did a very good inspection of the apt.  Checked closets, bathtub, under the bed, etc.

have you had any work done in your apartment? maybe an exterminator or maint man?

Not in a very long time.

[delalluvia]

Oooh, creepy. My friends and I were just telling ghost stories last night, but I won't go into that here...

Unless you want me to. 

   Thanks, but my sister beat you to it.  I called her just on the off chance (it was really out in left field chance - she was still at work and works on the other side of town from where I live) that she had been by my apt that day.  She instantly went into all the spooky things she'd seen on Youtube.

[delalluvia]

Maybe you flicked the switch without realizing it, when you turned the UV part of it off.....

Other than that.....or the cats.......

I would think so as well, but the switch isn't loosey-goosey.  It's pretty firm, a clear click let's you know it's in position.  I tried to mess with it, tried to leave it half-on half-off.  It was very difficult to do, I didn't succeed.  It flipped into one slot or the other.  No half-way.  I even slid it around, just like a cat would do, see if would accidentally flip on.  Nope.  It needs noticeable downward pressure to flip the switch.

it must have been the phantom torch turner onner....

He comes to our place sometimes when the grandkids are here, when I ask "who left that torch on and flattened the battery".......they shrug and say  "not me"........so I know from experience, that there is such a thing as the phantom torch turner onner.....

 

[optom3]

I have both cats and dogs and although love  them all dearly, the cats are way more clever. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it.
We have been having, an ongoing argument about the bath taps,well it 's the royal we, I have had a right go at my kids for turning on the tap in our ensuite, apart form anything else, it is the size of a swimming pool and our water rate is going up.I was quietly plucking my eyebrows one day, when my black cat came in, cools as a cucumber and pushed the tap on with his paw and startted drinking from the tap.
The problem is when he had finished he did not turn off the tap.!!!! One mystery solved.
The same cat can reach up and I kid you not ring our doorbell to be let in.He has also learned to sit on the toilet, but cannot flush.
So me personally, I would not put anything past a cat. If I leave the front door shut, but not locked,he can pull the handle down and let himself in.That took some time for me to figure out waht was going on there.
The dogs are lovely,but the furthest they have evolved is to scratch my door to pieces to be let in.

[Katie77]

Those cats of yours Fiona are very clever....obviously where theres a will theres a way.

We had a cat, who, if he couldnt get out to pee, he would sit over the grated hole in the bathroom floor and do it.

[Katie77]

I worked it out......here it is.........the phantom torch turner onner.....

[delalluvia]

I worked it out......here it is.........the phantom torch turner onner.....

 

[optom3]

Those cats of yours Fiona are very clever....obviously where theres a will theres a way.

We had a cat, who, if he couldnt get out to pee, he would sit over the grated hole in the bathroom floor and do it.

I would be even more impressed if he could flush it. I have to say he could teach the other 3 males in this house a lesson in aiming straight !!!!!!

[Katie77]

I would be even more impressed if he could flush it. I have to say he could teach the other 3 males in this house a lesson in aiming straight !!!!!!

Even if you could just teach him to put the toilet seat down, the others might take a bit of notice.

And I know what you are saying...one husband, two sons, two grandsons.....surely they can make that tiny little flow get somewhere in the perimeters of that dam big round toilet bowl....

[optom3]

Even if you could just teach him to put the toilet seat down, the others might take a bit of notice.

And I know what you are saying...one husband, two sons, two grandsons.....surely they can make that tiny little flow get somewhere in the perimeters of that dam big round toilet bowl....

You made me chuckle, so true ,so true.

[David In Indy]

That is such a cute story Fiona! Thanks for telling us about your cat!

That's one of the many reasons why I love animals so much. Just when we think we have them figured out, they turn around and amaze us once again. They really are much smarter than we give them credit for. My dog Cody knows how to pick up his toys and put them back in his toybox in the livingroom. He's pretty good at doing it too, although sometimes I have to remind him.

And my tuxedo cat Oreo has fallen in love with an old dish rag. He's been carrying it around with him for months and I have no idea why he's doing it. He has plenty of toys too, and he plays with them, but he INSISTS on packing that rag with him everywhere he goes. 

[Brown Eyes]

That is such a cute story Fiona! Thanks for telling us about your cat!

That's one of the many reasons why I love animals so much. Just when we think we have them figured out, they turn around and amaze us once again. They really are much smarter than we give them credit for. My dog Cody knows how to pick up his toys and put them back in his toybox in the livingroom. He's pretty good at doing it too, although sometimes I have to remind him.

And my tuxedo cat Oreo has fallen in love with an old dish rag. He's been carrying it around with him for months and I have no idea why he's doing it. He has plenty of toys too, and he plays with them, but he INSISTS on packing that rag with him everywhere he goes. 

My cat Vivien has a "security blanket" or "wobbie" type toy too.  In her case, it's a green feather on a long stick... it's a tickling toy designed for cats.  My parents gave it to her as a gift the very first time they met her when she was a 2 month old kitten.  And immediately... and I really mean immediately, she picked up the toy from the feather part and carried/ dragged it around the apartment with her.  It was soooooooooo cute because the toy was so much bigger than she was.  And, now that she's 3 years old, she still drags the same toy around with her all the time.  She hates it when people mess with it and has no interest in me "dangling" it or playing with it for her in the manner it was intended.  She also likes to sleep with it.  The green feather part is disgusting and matted from all the times she's carried it around in her mouth.  But, she loves it even in it's current, sort of sad condition.

I bought her two other identical green feather toys on sticks and she has no interest in them.  Some how that first one she got as the present from my parents has the magic touch for her.


As far as Vivien turning things on and off... she definitely knows how to flush the toilet.  She goes through phases where she finds that fun.  And, she also knows how to turn the light on and off in my kitchen.  The light switch is right above the counter, so all she needs to do is sit on the counter and it's easy for her to reach the switch.  It's really funny and surprising when she gets into a mood to play with the light because she rarely does it and it can be quite a shock at first to see the light flickering on and off rapidly (she likes to flick it on and off repeatedly when she's in the mood to mess with the light).

Lately, her bad-cat habit has been opening cabinet doors and climbing in.  She seems to be able to push her way out of the cabinet doors with no problem... but this new habit really worries me.  I would really hate to think of her getting stuck in a cabinet when I'm at work or something.  I'm seriously thinking about child proofing some of my cabinets.

[injest]

Even if you could just teach him to put the toilet seat down, the others might take a bit of notice.

And I know what you are saying...one husband, two sons, two grandsons.....surely they can make that tiny little flow get somewhere in the perimeters of that dam big round toilet bowl....

I am just happy when they decide to USE the indoor plumbing instead of my landscaping...

[LauraGigs]

And my tuxedo cat Oreo has fallen in love with an old dish rag. He's been carrying it around with him for months and I have no idea why he's doing it. He has plenty of toys too, and he plays with them, but he INSISTS on packing that rag with him everywhere he goes. 

David, have you read the performance thread?  Where Jack's tube of lube fell in love with the green warshrag, and sang this song?

Sometimes it's hard to be a butt cream
Giving all your lotion to just one rag
You'll have bad times, and he'll have good times
With JAMMY PANTS in the laundry bag

But if you love him please forgive him
Even though he makes you wanna nag
And if you love him, whoa be proud of him
Cause after all he's just a rag

Stand by your rag
Give him two loops to cling to
And wefts so warm to come to
When laundromats are cold and lonely

Stand by your rag
And show Brokenarse you love him
Keep following the care instructions on his tag
Staaaaand byyyyyyyyy your raaaaaaaag!

[David In Indy]

Fiona and Sue, you should float a cheerio in the toilet and tell them to try and pee through it. I never could understand why some men have problems hitting the toilet bowl when they pee. And often times they don't want to put the seat up either, or they leave the seat up and forget to put it back down, inevitably causing the next person to fall in if they don't look before sitting.

SPLASH!!

[David In Indy]

David, have you read the performance thread?  Where Jack's tube of lube fell in love with the green warshrag, and sang this song?

Sometimes it's hard to be a butt cream
Giving all your lotion to just one rag
You'll have bad times, and he'll have good times
With JAMMY PANTS in the laundry bag

But if you love him please forgive him
Even though he makes you wanna nag
And if you love him, whoa be proud of him
Cause after all he's just a rag

Stand by your rag
Give him two loops to cling to
And wefts so warm to come to
When laundromats are cold and lonely

Stand by your rag
And show Brokenarse you love him
Keep following the care instructions on his tag
Staaaaand byyyyyyyyy your raaaaaaaag!

That is cute Laura! I don't think I read that, but I remember hearing something about the butt cream! lol

My cat Vivien has a "security blanket" or "wobbie" type toy too.  In her case, it's a green feather on a long stick... it's a tickling toy designed for cats.  My parents gave it to her as a gift the very first time they met her when she was a 2 month old kitten.  And immediately... and I really mean immediately, she picked up the toy from the feather part and carried/ dragged it around the apartment with her.  It was soooooooooo cute because the toy was so much bigger than she was.  And, now that she's 3 years old, she still drags the same toy around with her all the time.  She hates it when people mess with it and has no interest in me "dangling" it or playing with it for her in the manner it was intended.  She also likes to sleep with it.  The green feather part is disgusting and matted from all the times she's carried it around in her mouth.  But, she loves it even in it's current, sort of sad condition.

I bought her two other identical green feather toys on sticks and she has no interest in them.  Some how that first one she got as the present from my parents has the magic touch for her.


As far as Vivien turning things on and off... she definitely knows how to flush the toilet.  She goes through phases where she finds that fun.  And, she also knows how to turn the light on and off in my kitchen.  The light switch is right above the counter, so all she needs to do is sit on the counter and it's easy for her to reach the switch.  It's really funny and surprising when she gets into a mood to play with the light because she rarely does it and it can be quite a shock at first to see the light flickering on and off rapidly (she likes to flick it on and off repeatedly when she's in the mood to mess with the light).

Lately, her bad-cat habit has been opening cabinet doors and climbing in.  She seems to be able to push her way out of the cabinet doors with no problem... but this new habit really worries me.  I would really hate to think of her getting stuck in a cabinet when I'm at work or something.  I'm seriously thinking about child proofing some of my cabinets.

Maybe I should get one of those toys for Oreo, and he'd forget about the dishrag. But probably not. I'd really like to get it away from him and launder it, but he doesn't like it if I try to mess with it. He'll growl or hiss at me. I think he believes it's his baby. I really don't know WHAT is going on in his little kitty mind.

But he's attached to it, that's for sure!

It's kind of embarrassing when people come over and see him walking across the room with that nasty rag in his mouth. The first thing they'll ask is "Don't you buy your cat any toys?" and then I'll haul out the box FULL of cat toys. Like I said, he plays with those too, but he LOVES that nasty old dishrag for some reason!

[CellarDweller]

He comes to our place sometimes when the grandkids are here, when I ask "who left that torch on and flattened the battery".......they shrug and say  "not me"........so I know from experience, that there is such a thing as the phantom torch turner onner.....

 

[optom3]

I think I need to borrow Cody and Vivien,flushing toilets and putting toys away, that's more than I can get my kids to do.
 We have the magic cleany uppy fairy in our house.She's an absoloute gem, she can  pick up the clothes and get them washed, while mopping the floor with a broom up her rear, and cook a delicious meal for 5.Only one problem, she does seem to be running up one hell of a phone bill.

[Katie77]

I think I need to borrow Cody and Vivien,flushing toilets and putting toys away, that's more than I can get my kids to do.
 We have the magic cleany uppy fairy in our house.She's an absoloute gem, she can  pick up the clothes and get them washed, while mopping the floor with a broom up her rear, and cook a delicious meal for 5.Only one problem, she does seem to be running up one hell of a phone bill.

Yeah know that fairy well........shes the one who picks up after that other dam naughty fairy, who drops the wet towels on the floor, and cant change a toilet roll....

And Fiona, just wanted to let you know.....we own a pet shop, and I worked in there today, and I told your story about what your cats do to a couple of our customers, and they were quite amazed....So if your ears were burnin, it was because someone was talking about you in Australia...

[CellarDweller]

We have the magic cleany uppy fairy in our house.

[optom3]

O.K where does he live and how much is his hourly rate.I want him, in fact he does not even have to clean up, I don't even mind if he leaves the toilet seet up.I'LL clean up after him!!!!!

[LauraGigs]

    Yeah, damn!   (As long as he 'works' for the ladies too!)   

[optom3]

Yeah know that fairy well........shes the one who picks up after that other dam naughty fairy, who drops the wet towels on the floor, and cant change a toilet roll....

And Fiona, just wanted to let you know.....we own a pet shop, and I worked in there today, and I told your story about what your cats do to a couple of our customers, and they were quite amazed....So if your ears were burnin, it was because someone was talking about you in Australia...

So that's waht it was.I just thought it was the bank manager, before he left a less than cordial message on my answerphone.Something about unauthoried and ovwedraft.I get the feeling I am not top of his hit parade at the moment. Some people, how rude and now he expects me to ring him back!!!! Not without several vodkas,and a large dose of Valium.

[LauraGigs]

Not without several vodkas,and a large dose of Valium.

    Honey you be careful with that stuff!  Or I'll have to get the whips-chains-and-handcuffs fairy to do an intervention.

[optom3]

    Honey you be careful with that stuff!  Or I'll have to get the whips-chains-and-handcuffs fairy to do an intervention.

After Heath, very careful !!!  However the whips-chains- and handcuffs fairy sounds good anyway. I wonder if I get discount for 2.The cleany uppy one and her,sort of 2 for the price of one!!!! Or as we used to say in England B.O.G.O.F.

[CellarDweller]

I'm glad you liked the male fairy.




I posed for that pic some time ago.  Ya know....before I let myself go.



 

[optom3]

I'm glad you liked the male fairy.




I posed for that pic some time ago.  Ya know....before I let myself go.



 

Liked doesn't begin to descibe what I feel.It's a bit like calling  BBM just a movie. I would sell body parts on Ebay to have him come visit!!!!!

[CellarDweller]

well oh my!   

[optom3]

well oh my!   

I'm guessing that's a no then!!
What's tragic though, is as the recession has got worse, we have had to get rid of the gardener, but more importantly,the pool boy.Now he really was worth getting up early for.Just shorts and a tanned 6 pack.
I sure struck lucky there, next door got the owner, who had probably passed his peak.I get 6ft plus of sheer fantasy stuff.Friday will no longer be the same,very very big sigh.
Ah well it was nice while it lasted. He must have wondered why all the Laurel Oaks ladies were up, sunbathing or just going for a swim, every time he arrived.

[Katie77]

Oh my gosh, I wake up this morning and see that pic of that "hunk fairy"...then find out Im gonna have to stand in line behind these other ladies.........

And Chucky......I did think it was you.....I really can see a resemblance.

Any chance he has a twin brother???

[CellarDweller]

Any chance he has a twin brother???

If he does, I want him to be gay, and ask me out!