Lots of Photos Before Christmas

So, it's been an interesting time lately.  I've been spending Wednesdays evenings with my parents helping out while mom is in chemo.  Of course that didn't happen this last week as I had a cold that started Sunday night, and I couldn't risk giving it to mom.

So Thanksgiving was quiet as I dealt with congestion and a sinus headache from the bouncing barometer.  Jennifer and I made an early morning run to storage to get our containers of Christmas decorations.

And that stack is over 6 feet tall.  We meant to take a picture for scale, but forgot.  The six boxes on the bottom are 64-liter Really Useful Boxes.  They're amazingly sturdy.  I remmeber seeing a photo once of a Mini Cooper sitting on top of four RUBs.  [I found a video]

So anyway, they're really great.  We're considering converting all of our storage boxes to them.  Plus there's the added bonus of being able to see what's inside if you get the clear ones.

So we like angels.  The one on the left is the tree topper,a dn was the first we bought as a married couple.  We got the little one next to it later because it matched so well.  Then we just started accumulating angels.  They end up scattered throughout the flat surface decorations.

And here is the finished tree.  

The following are the flat surfaces that got decorated with different colors and lighted garlands.

Obviously next to the tree.

Behind the couch.

The corner of the entryway.

Out in the hallway by the front door.

On the way into home proper.

And our bookshelves.

And the final photo is of Oscar and Felix who while they were very upset during the decorating phase, they do like curling up under the tree.

Interior Decorating

So, yesterday Jennifer and I took down our Thanksgiving decorations, and brought our Christmas decorations out of storage.  We didn't get very far doing anything else lacking the motivation.

Today, we buckled down and decorated while watching football on NFL RedZone.

Felix was the first to discover the tree skirt.

Then we had the blinds open for the beautiful weather, and he found the storage boxes.

Then he left, and Oscar found them.

Keep in mind, cats are only semi-solids, and will flow slightly in direct sunlight.

Felix was frustrated by the packing material being in his sunlight.

And here is the completed tree.  The rest of house will be decorated this week.

CATS!

So I've noticed that my blog has been a little light on pictures recently.  And what does the Internet need more of?  That's right...

Pictures of cats!

So this first one is Felix on the upstairs balcony.  He is our little black-body radiator, and works hard to maintain his requisite temperature.

Now, this is not to say that his brother Oscar doesn't like the sun; he just has a lower tolerance for the heat, and will tend to lay int he sun, then move to the shade, and back again.

We recently got a sampler box of one of our favorite breweries, and Oscar decided to see if he could fit.  The answer below.

 But back to my own little Basement Cat.  The other day I came home, and was greeted by Oscar, but Felix was not immediately found.  Then I saw the disturbed blinds, and went behind the love-seat to find this looking at me.

I'll try to be better at pictures.  Because Penny Arcade says it all about why pictures are better.

A Post and Music

It’s been a while since I did this to music, so I thought I try it again.

{Queensrÿche “Hard Times”}

So yeah, no matter what, comic book plots tend to slip into my mind at the strangest times.

This evening I was in my office/craft room looking for something and my tabby Oscar came in to see what I was doing.  I played with him a little, and was pleased when he started purring.  even as he rolled onto his back, and I scratched his belly while he gnawed on the cuff of my shirt, he kept purring.  I figured he must be really happy.

And then an old plot from the Flash came into my head. and so we descend into geekdom.

{Evanescence “The Other Side”}

One of the villains of the Flash is Gorilla Grodd.  Grodd has been around for a long time.  He is a super-intelligent gorilla from Gorilla City, a city of super-intelligent gorillas hidden somewhere in Africa. According to Wikipedia, he first appeared in 1959.  Most of the gorillas are peaceful if reclusive, but Grodd is evil with the powers of telepathy.  He constantly chafes at the presence of humans whom he views as inferior.  And if you compare intelligence and strength, he’s got a point.

{Breaking Benjamin “Skin”}

One of the Flash comics in the 90s had Grodd build a device that increased the brain power of animals all across Central City (the Flash’s base of operations).  And because humans are such jerks (or insert other synonym here) the animals attacked.  Birds swooped and pecked.  Rats rose up.  Zoos became pandemonium.  But some pets, those that were well treated, defended their owners.

{Chris Cornell “Other Side of Town”}

The main one shown was the new kitten of a little girl who at first seemed to have fallen under Grodd’s spell, but was actually upset about the squirrel that about to launch itself through the picture window to attack the little girl.  The kitten ends up killing the squirrel, and then goes back to wanting to play with the little girl.

Yes, of course, the Flash stops Grodd.  I think this was even one of those times when the invention backfires, and makes Grodd (temporarily) a vegetable.  He is returned to the custody of Gorilla City where he would later escape and wreak havoc once again.

And yes, the point of this is that as I sat on the floor rubbing my kitten’s tummy, I felt confident that if he were to suddenly gain sentience, he wouldn't attack me.

{Garbage “Stupid Girl”}

First off a video using They Might Be Giants' newest song. I take issue with SiO2 making cement (acid will show it's mostly CaCO3), and CaSO4 as chalk (again CaCO3), but the rest of the video is fun.



Saturday was a fun day of gaming. It went well enough, but there are bits I could have done better. Sunday was a day of football, and fun.

Until I met the cat outside. I was seeing if Pom was outside,but instead I came across a yearling cat with a bell. We've encountered this cat before, but it meowed and seemed friendly enough. I made noises, and it came over to see me. I picked it up and it purred. And then it got spooked. It twisted and scratched and jumped down.

Did I mention I wasn't wearing a shirt at the time?

I got two short scratches on my right shoulder and two long parallel scratches across my left ribs to my navel. I quickly washed them with alcohol, and when they stopped being dirty (it had been raining, and the paws had been muddy), I followed up with Bactine.

It was painful this washing this morning in the shower.