Friday, August 31, 2012

Vacation Request

Labor Day weekend?  Yes it's labor having to put up with listening to my attempts at learning how to play the guitar...

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Grace Under Pressure

After I took his picture I told Thompson that by posting it on the internet he could be seen by millions and millions of people. For some of us that would be a nerve wracking thing to think about.  It didn't seem to phase him too much.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Best Days of Our Lives

Someday we'll all look back on these days with fondness in our hearts and sentimentality in our heads...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Can't Win

Theo got a lecture Saturday morning because he woke me up around 5 a.m. with constant meowing that was easily understood to mean he thought it was time for breakfast.  I told him if there is one rule in our house it's not to wake everyone up on a Saturday morning at 5 a.m.  The lecture must have sunk in because he didn't wake me up at all Sunday morning.  I forgot to set my alarm and when I looked at my clock it was 10:41 a.m. I then spoke to all three boyz about not letting daddy sleep away the weekend.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Another Annoying Personal Fact

It's State Fair time again. This means a lot of rumblin traffic in front of our house.  Every time a bus rolls on by Diego-san's ears perk up.  Of course then I share with him the fact that my all time favorite movie character is Sandra Bullock's Annie in the movie Speed.  Annie was quite the bus driver.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Hope I Can Make It...


Cat power and the Walker: 'You can’t not laugh at a cat riding around on a vacuum'

Open Field blogger Katie Czarniecki Hill with her cat Ron.
Courtesy of Katie Czarniecki Hill

Open Field blogger Katie Czarniecki Hill with her cat Ron.

One of the most popular social media memes making the rounds of late goes, “What matters most in life is not how much money you have. It’s about quotes and stuff that tell you what life is really all about. And here is a picture of a cat.”

And then, there, is a picture of a cat.

Aug. 30 at Walker Art Center, there will be more pictures of cats. Moving pictures of cats that have gone viral, like this one. And this one.

And this one.

How did this happen? How did one of the world’s preeminent art institutions stoop to presenting something called the Internet Cat Video Film Festival, to be held outdoors on the Walker plaza as part of its Open Field summer program Thursday, Aug. 30?

Blame/champion Katie Czarniecki Hill.

“The first time I mentioned the idea publicly was on our Mnartists.org “Best of 2011” blog post, where each of our staffers named our five favorite things from the year and two wishes for the following year,” says Hill, 28, who does social media and blogging for Open Field and maintains the online data base of local artists and live programming for Mnartists.org. “And one of my wishes was that I would be able to have a cat video festival in Open Field. That planted the seed.”

Hill and her husband, Matt Hill, live in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul with an orange and white cat named Ron and a gray tabby named Max. Katie’s passion for cats (hashtag: #catlady4eva) has proven infectious, but how did she convince WAC powers-that-be that a smorgasbord of whimsical cat videos should be installed a few whiskers away from all that serious modern art?

“When spring came around and we were planning the Open Field program, I asked if could show some cat videos on the field at the end of the summer, and right away everyone said, ‘Yeah, that sounds fun. Sounds great. Let’s make it into a program,’” she said.

'Crowd-sourced experiment'

“It was pretty lighthearted, and there were a couple other ladies in the office who like watching cat videos, so they affirmed it was a good idea. And [Mnartists.org project director] Scott [Stulen] helped me turn it into a public program and we decided to take nominations and make it this community crowd-sourced experiment.”

In July, the Walker announced it was taking nominations for the best cat videos. The story itself went viral. Over the last few weeks, Hill and her colleagues have pored over 10,000 submitted videos. Meanwhile, Hill has done radio interviews with shows in Australia, Ireland, North Carolina, and NPR marketplace, and the story hit the Los Angeles Times, Time,  the BBC, the Kansas City Star, and Canadian television.

Obviously, Hill and her crew have tapped into a new opiate for the masses, a pussy riot of our own. But while the act of watching cat videos is a rabbit (er, kitty) hole many go down (a cat in Japan’s video has been seen by 58 million people), the question is:
Is it art?

“That’s a great question, one that I’m not really going to speak to. I know better,” says Hill with a laugh. “But I think the interesting, more artistic part you can pull out of this is actually the social experiment of it all: the participatory practice of seeing who comes, and what happens, and if people like it, and seeing if all this Internet press translates into people actually coming here next Thursday night.”

Leave the cats at home

Interested cat people should know that activities start at 4 p.m., and the videos start at 8:30. Hill suggests bringing a blanket, riding your bike, leaving the cats at home, and buying a T-shirt.

In the end, she attributes the popularity of cat videos to the fact that “you can’t not laugh at a cat riding around on a vacuum,” and hopes the laughter is contagious.

“I know a lot of people like cat videos,” she said, “and why does it have to be something you do by yourself on your computer? Maybe that’s the way it was meant to be, but maybe we can do it together.”

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sun Puddle Meeting

Whatever was being discussed has Theo on alert and has floored Thompson.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Mr. Dylan

If there is one thing I could probably blog about other than the boyz, it's my love of Bob Dylan's music.  Tuesday, I drove down to Rochester, Minnesota to see my 41st Dylan show.  I've seen him in London, Los Angeles, and Memphis to name a few places.  One of the things I greatly admire about Dylan is his ability to mix things up- to constantly seek new ways to play his songs.  On the current tour, he has taken to playing a baby grand piano- and the piano sound is mixed high in the overall sound making it the most prominent thing to hear.

Like most things, Bob brings a unique quality to his piano playing.  The best description I could think of when listening Tuesday night was his sound is an awful lot like when Diego-san hops up on the baby grand piano in our living room; sort of random playing of chords and keys.  Though entirely chaotic and in the moment Diego-san's piano playing/strolling up and down the keys almost seems full of a purpose that only he can hear (or perhaps he knows his brothers aren't entirely sure what to make of the sound)- a feeling that Bob's playing also achieves.

Show number 42 is coming up in November.  I'm thinking of also attending shows 43 and 44 this year if my schedule allows...

Thursday, August 23, 2012

How Does It Feel?

The house was still standing (as were all three of the boyz) when I got back home after staying overnight in a hotel.

P.S. Bob was his usual entertaining self.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Home Alone

The boyz were left unsupervised overnight as I went to see Mr. Dylan play a show at a venue about an hour and a half away.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

This Was New

Thompson caused me some concern yesterday morning when he skipped breakfast (his brothers were more than willing to consume his breakfast after they were finished with their own).  I put his dish away and decided I would keep an eye on him for other symptoms.  He went to use the litter box (number 2) and then came back to the kitchen to get a drink of water and finish his breakfast which he proceeded to do when I put his dish back out.  I guess when a guy's gotta go, a guy's gotta go.  This still is out of the ordinary so I'm going to t try and keep an eye on him.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Food Food Food

The kitchen is definitely Theo's favorite place in the house.  That's because he has a four letter word on his mind at all times...

Friday, August 17, 2012

Fetal Position

When I curl up in the fetal position it's usually because the world has gotten the better of me.  When Thompson curls up in the fetal position it's usually because the rest of the world doesn't interest him much.  Different stripes for different folks I suppose.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Skunk Eye

I asked Diego-san if he's forgiven me for forgetting his birthday.  I think I'll ask again another day...

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Way Too Early

I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. yesterday morning for work.  My usual weekday wake up time is around 5:30 a.m.  The earlier wake up time must have been too early for the boyz.  None of them stirred when I got out of bed.  Usually they all know breakfast is served right after I finish my shower.  This time they dragged themselves downstairs but only one finished his meal- Theo (of course).

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Monday, August 13, 2012

Sorry Buddy

Diego-san thanks everyone who remembered his birthday. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them... I totally forgot. Now I'm in the unique position of being in a cat's doghouse...

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Not a Pin Up Boy

Theo doesn't understand why we've been watching so many Marilyn Monroe movies recently.  He doesn't think she's any more special than Lana Turner, Greta Garbo, or Rita Hayworth.

Friday, August 10, 2012

iPad Post

Who knew Blogger had an iPhone/iPad app? Certainly not me, and if Diego-san knew, he didn't see the need to share. Of course many of the best photos I have of Diego are on my iPad and not on my computer because I've been too lazy to upload them all...

Thursday, August 09, 2012

Medalist

If there was Olympic competition for being good looking, Thompson would clearly get a gold medal.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Clean Place Needed

As much as Theo likes to get his face right in the middle of things, even he is smart enough to avoid the dirty socks behind him.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Eight Men Out

Diego-san has a new favorite place to sit when I'm trying to watch TV.  And as poorly as the Twins have played the past couple of seasons, and as much help as they need, I'm not sure Diego-san is the type of help they are looking for. Perhaps he figures though, there won't be as much groaning and shouting at the TV if I can't actually see what's going on.

Monday, August 06, 2012

Thompson's Advice

Sometimes it's better to remain outside the spotlight and let more rambunctious brothers get most of the attention.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Gravity Optional

Diego-san knows that he's always right side up.  It's me that is sometimes upside down.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Tweet This

Twitter?  Who needs Twitter when all you have to do is think really hard, look up, and transmit your thoughts through your whiskers.

Friday, August 03, 2012

Monikers

Couch potatoes?  No.  Couch sweet potatoes?  Getting warmer...

Thursday, August 02, 2012

The Face

Thompson heard a rumor that I'm planning on doing some furniture rearranging in the very near future.  He did his best to give me a look pleading me not to.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Theo's Haiku

It's a summer day
Too hot to run around and
Too boring not to