Luna

Carnival of the Cats #360

We at CatSynth would like to welcome everyone to the 360th Carnival of the Cats, one of the longest running weekly roundups featuring cats from around the blogosphere.  You can find out more, including how to participate, at the Carnival of the Cats website.  If you would like to participate today, you can use the handy submission form, or leave a comment below.

First, we open with a fast-forward Luna’s WCB photo from yesterday.  She is after all the host for this week.

And while she keeps busy with her napping, we proceed to the carnival proper.  First up, we have Maddie relaxing in her box of paper.

It turns out that “Maddie in the box with paper” scans perfectly to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.  Trippy! The cats at StrangeRanger also have some new portraits posted today.

Next up, we have a few submissions from our friends Nikita and Elvira.  First, we see them enjoying a lazy Friday afternoon.  But they have also been industrious, registering for Blog Paws 2011.  This a leap of faith, as they and their dad (like many) had a rough 2010.  But there is also bright news, as Elvira prepares to celebrate her first birthday.

Happy birthday in advance!

We at CatSynth marked Groundhog Day this past Wednesday.  But Hakuna remains unimpressed. “Groundhog Day? Screw that. When’s Caturday?”

You have to appreciate that surly expression.

Rather than being surly, Samantha and Clementine seem fascinated by the snow that has been falling in Texas.

Based on all the commentary about the Super Bowl in Texas today, I am guessing this is not supposed to happen.

Catsparella presents this post featuring cats with heart-shaped fur markings:

This should probably come with a cuteness warning of some sort.

That concludes the carnival for now.  We will continue to update with any submissions we receive through the end of Sunday.  Thanks to all who participated.

Weekend Cat Blogging #296

It looks like it’s going to be another beautiful morning here.  Luna maintains her routine on sunny mornings of bedding down on a dining room chair.  And while I am busy working, she is dreaming:

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted here at CatSynth tomorrow! If you would like to participate, please fill out the handy submission form.

Weekend Cat Blogging #296 is being hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

And the Friday Ark has returned at the modulator.

Like many, we have been hungrily following the events in Egypt (if by some chance, you are not following this, you should be) – and excited to see hopeful changes for the people there. While the focus is of course on the major political changes and peoples’ safety, I did look into stories about animals in the land that once worshipped cats as gods. Through this article, we did read about Egyptian Mau Rescue, and browsed the Facebook page for the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals. Ultimately, these visits ended up being a narrative about people and the challenges they face caring for animals amidst major upheaval.

Weekend Cat Blogging #295

Weekend Cat Blogging #295 will be hosted by…wait, it’s being hosted by us!

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) is a weekly event where bloggers share entries about cats, whether or not cats are the focus of their blogs.  We welcome longtime participants and newcomers.  If you would like to participate, please leave a comment below or tweet us @catsynth with hashtag #wcb.  We will add you to the roundup, which will appear below.

We are excited to have several first-time participants this week  First up, we have a visit from Catsparella where they are having their own Caturday roundup, featuring several cats including Miah, pictured above.

Aurelia from the blog Modern Woman also joins us for the first time with a post featuring Poppy, the neighbors’ kitten.  Poppy is very cute, but apparently not supposed to be in the garden. “As cute as she is, would you want to mess with the claws behind that face?”

Over at The Accidental English Teacher we have Oliver poking his head into the frame and wondering what could possibly be more interesting to look at than him.

Over at Pam’s Sidewalk Shoes, Patchouli demonstrates the fine art of napping.  And she does so in such tasteful surroundings.  On a side note, Pam and the cats are longtime participants, and several of the new participants this week found their way to CatSynth through them.

From Create With Joy, we have this expressive and detailed photograph of Tsunami.  Follow the link to see the full-sized version.  Meanwhile, Legend comments on the latest pantry items.

Uh oh, it looks like Clementine is being a bad kitty.  But it also looks like Samantha is ready on defense.  See the whole drama unfold at Life from a Cat’s Perspective.  (I have to admit, I was hoping for at least one combative post after finding out my #WCB hashtag on twitter is also being used for a boxing match.)

At Herman’s Hideaway, Herman is displeased with his busy mom.  This apparently involves the appearance of both the area vacuum (aka the “sucky monster”), but also the feline vacuum (aka the “furminator”).

I have to admit, I’m a little envious of the picture of Elvira, Nikita and their dad sharing a bed on a lazy Friday.  They look so relaxed.

Oh dear, “The Boys” and Karen over at Kittens ‘n Things had quite a few scares.  First, Bowie had a scary moment with his asthma.  Then, as they describe in the comments below, there was an explosion and fire in a neighbor’s garage.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Conrad is one of the many cats from PAWS in Norwalk, Connecticut, featured on Animal Volunteer Shelter Life.  He is apparently quite well read and keeps up with current events in the newspaper.  We hope he finds a permanent home soon.

Finally, we have this question from Mama Grace and Company: is Audace a cat in the manager? Look at the picture above and follow the link and decide for yourself.

That concludes Weekend Cat Blogging (for now).  Next week, we will be hosting Carnival of the Cats.

Weekend Cat Blogging #294: Looking out the Window

While many of our friends were dealing with snow, we enjoyed a some sunshine here in California this past week, even a bit of warmth. Here we see Luna intently looking out the window in a patch of strong afternoon sun:

I like the warm colors in this one, and the way it contrasts with her fur.

I also made this video. The original came out rather dark, but it was good for experimenting with black-and-white, digital grain effects and contrast. Wait until the end to hear Luna’s sweet little voice.

Weekend Cat Blogging #294 is hosted by Billy Sweetfeets. (Watch the french toast video at your own risk.)

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Nikita.

And next week we will be hosting Weekend Cat Blogging here at CatSynth!

Preparing for tonight’s performance

I am busily getting ready for my next solo performance tonight.

Light A Fire: Amar Chaudhary, Zeina Nasr, Evangelista/Lowecki/Stuart
Monday, January 17 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Mama Buzz Cafe
2318 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA

Please join us for creative music in three acts (incidentally the third Monday of the month)–featuring:

-Zeina Nasr
Emphatic, ethereal vocalisms

-Amar Chaudhary
(www.ptank.com/amar_music/)
Complex, articulate solo work with an electronic aesthetic

-Karl Evangelista/Shaun Lowecki/Doug Stuart Trio
(www.karlevangelista.com)
(www.shaunlowecki.com)
-Animated, explosive inside/outside music

Hope to see you!
-Friendly Neighborhood Light A Fire Committee

I am once again using a relatively minimal setup (or as minimal as I can make it for a solo show).  There is the iPad (and the iPhone), the MacBook with a monome, and the Evolver.  I also have a couple of percussion instruments, and the dotara, an Indian string instrument.

For the iPad, I will be using the Curtis for iPad (shown in the photo below), along with the from Smule, the 古筝 (Guzheng) app, and the KORG iMS-20, among others.

Based on feedback from my last performance at the Omega Sound Fix, I am going to try and use fewer elements, particularly in the live sampling/looping section. I will start with the dotara, and layer the Magic Fiddle and guzheng model on top of it. I will be reusing some of the other elements that I have been having fun with, such as the Count Basie Big Band Remote from the Blue Note in Chicago controlled via the monome.

Luna wants to help out with preparations, too:

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Shadow (with Hipstamatic)

For today’s combined Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt, we follow Luna in her favorite morning spot, the dining table. The bright sun from the southeast brings warmth to the surfaces and also casts strong shadows.

I am experimenting again with the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone, which simulates old lenses, film processes, etc. This particular lens was relatively clear but makes everything high contrast (a common theme in my photography). I also tried out another lens that has a rather streaky and overexposed quality:

The oversaturated image brings out contrast between the shadows and the sun patches.  It also has an interesting effect on Luna’s black fur.

Weekend Cat Blogging #293 is hosted by Samantha, Clementine and (honorary cat) Maverick at Life from a Cat’s Perspective.

Photo Hunt #248 is hosted by tnchick. This week’s theme is Shadow.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at iMeowza.

Weekend Cat Blogging #292: at rest

For today’s Weekend Cat Blogging, we see Luna enjoying a nap:

It seems like she has been resting a lot lately. It’s been cold, it’s been dark, she is probably channeling some of my own fatigue, and of course she is a cat.

We were briefly jolted yesterday by a 4.1-magnitude earthquake in the Bay Area. It was relatively long, but still quite mild. Luna was on alert though, her ears pointing straight up and her eyes growing exceptionally wide. She did not run for cover, though.

Weekend Cat Blogging #292 is hosted by Kashim, Othello and Salome at PaulChens FoodBlog ?!. I quite like the monochrome graphic they created for today:

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Billy SweetFeets.

The friday ark remains on hiatus.

Weekend Cat Blogging: New Year and Photohunt:Fuzzy

We at CatSynth attempt to wake up to the new year…slowly.  Here is our first published photo of 2011:

The theme of this weekend’s Photo Hunt is fuzzy, which is easy with Luna around.  One can easily see the fuzziness of her thick winter fur.  Cats do seem to get thicker fur in the winter…and contrary to stereotypes, we do have a winter season in California.

This may end up being about as much as we do today.

Weekend Cat Blogging #291 New Years Edition is hosted by Pam and the cats at Sidewalk Shoes.

The Photo Hunt is hosted by tnchick. This week’s theme is Fuzzy.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Nikita Cat.

And life goes on…