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New Years Resolutions

This past year has had some great moments, such as moving to the city and the recent elections. But it was also a difficult year, not in the same way as 2007 with its many tragedies and personal challenges, but nonetheless full of things we at CatSynth would like to put behind us.

In the spirit of looking forward, here are some resolutions for the new year:

  1. Write down everything. To-do lists, shopping lists, story ideas, art concepts, blog posts, reactions to things I see, books and music I want to look into, opinion pieces, random thoughts, and more.
  2. Write more consistently on CatSynth. Keep up with posts, especially timely things like music and art reviews, or reactions to news events. Of course, there will always be a focus on cats and music.
  3. Maintain the current schedule of at least one significant musical performance per month.
  4. Have at least one visual-art (i.e., photography and graphics) show before the end of the year.
  5. Join at least one additional volunteer or service program.
  6. Make five new close friends within the city limits.
  7. Re-make my studio into a space I want to spend my creative time in. That includes removing the clutter, and connecting everything up in a way that works.
  8. Remove things I don’t want, with the goal of reducing the contents of CatSynth HQ by 10%.
  9. Respond to all personal correspondence in under a week.
  10. Release a second album.
  11. Keep my financial decisions slightly less stupid that than those of the world at large.

This list may seem like a lot, but at the same time it is far from comprehensive if one looks back at the past year and things that could have been done better. But it’s a start. And a year from now, it will be interesting to look and see how many of these were successful, or at least still valid.

Stories for the last night of Channukah

I should have written this earlier, rather than waiting for the last night of Channukah.

As most readers know, this is the Jewish holiday that lasts for eight days and commemorates one of the world’s greatest stories of energy conservation. No ritual oil has ever had a lower carbon footprint.

I wanted to share this series of new Channukah fiction that was read on NPR. Each of the stories is beautiful and modern. But I was perhaps most drawn to Holiday by Steve Stern, a retelling of the Channukah story in a somewhat dystopian United States in 2015 with chronic energy shortages, economic ruin, and cranky old Jewish stereotypes.

As CatSynth HQ is only beginning to recover from our brief little dystopia, our celebrations were rather quiet this year. But we did connect with family and friends even in the middle of everything. And I suppose that is what really counts.

Weekend Cat Blogging: Homecoming

After many weeks away, Luna finally came home today.

Exploring familiar places, tentatively at first.

As can be seen in these photos, the construction is not quite complete yet, though it is progressing and we hope it will be done soon.

Several treats awaited her arrival, including a new catnip-laced scratcher.

And of course some affection.

Welcome home, Luna!

Weekend Cat Blogging #185 (Holiday Edition) is being hosted at the M-Cats Club. They have feline Christmas music, you have been warned 😉

Kashim, Othello and Salmone host this weekend’s Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Nikita’s Place

And of course the Friday Ark #222 is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging: Birthday, Thanksgiving, and Encounters

This week we celebrated a belated Thanksgiving and birthday with Luna, who is still boarding away from home.

Luna’s birthday was on November 30, so it’s natural to combine with Thanksgiving. I brought her some leftover turkey from New York, some of which I accidentally dropped while taking it out. But that didn’t stop Luna from rushing over to enjoy it:

Meanwhile, she is making friends with some of the other cats, including another black cat.

It’s great to see her happy and making friends. And even though Luna had to celebrate her birthday and Thanksgiving away from home, we’re hopeful she’ll be back home in time for Channukah.

We also mark the initial release of the new CatSynth website this weekend. All the original posts and comments are here, including many from our “CatSynth FEMA Trailer” site. I’m very happy with the new look and structure, it reflects our modernist and urban aesthetics. Feedback is welcome as we continue our work.

Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by Sir Tristan Tabby Cat Longtail at Tabbylicious.

The Bad Kitty Cats of Festival of Chaos is being hosted this weekend by Samantha Black and Mr. Tigger.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up today at Mind of Mog.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

hpnyc.org on the F train

Yesterday while was in the F train in New York, a young blond man came through the crowded car soliciting donations. I would not have given him much notice, except that as he was carrying a small black cat, and supposedly collecting for an organization called “Homeless Pets NYC” with a website hpnyc.org. The URL will take you to a site that describes the person I saw and his black cat, and suggests that like most subway solicitations it’s a scam. Very sad.

Weekend Cat Blogging #181: More Luna in Exile

As the construction at CatSynth HQ drags on longer and longer, Luna remains at her home away from home. I go to visit her quite often, and she is usually happy and excited by my arrival. Here is one of her many greetings, she has gotten quite good at standing on her hind legs to head-butt:

She is quite active and social, and enjoys cruising the hallways. Also playing in her own room:

and especially looking down from her alcove:

This is often where she sits as I leave, peering through the outer door at me. These visits are both joyous and melancholy. It would be better to be back at home. But I do know she is being well cared for, and is happy and healthy.

There is a radio on in the cats’ area, usually tuned one of our many pop-music stations. Usually, I don’t notice it much, but when I’m sitting on the concrete floors and some R&B from the 1960s or 1970s comes on, the whole image feels “right.” Again, quite melancholy, but still somehow positive, something out of a story I haven’t bothered to write down…

I do try to keep these visits as unmediated as possible, and often don’t bring the camera at all. But today is one of those days that I did. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking a few city photos in the waning November-afternoon sun. It’s been a little while since I have done that.

We’re going to take a break for the holidays, and hopefully after that we’ll be back in our real homes, at both the reconstructed CatSynth site and the reconstructed CatSynth HQ.

Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted this weekend by the Cats in Maryland. Extreme cuteness alert, with baby pictures.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be hosted by
Miz Mog and the Kitties. Chaos is an apt term for life these days.

The Carnival of the Cats is going up this Sunday at Artsy Catsy.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Election Day

Well, Election Day is here.

Here is our sample ballot and voter guide for the City and County of San Francisco, California:

Yes, it is a tome! One actually has to read and study in order to do a good job with today’s civic duty. And maybe that’s not a bad thing. The rather large size is mostly because of all our local and state-wise propositions. We have 22 local propositions. Most are very mundane, but we have some “interesting” ones, like naming a waste-water treatment plant in honor of the outgoing president (yes, the “George W Bush Sewage Treatment Plant”).

We also have 12 state propositions, including the most profound:

Those of you with us here in California, please use to your sense of reason and fairness, rather the fear and prejudice, when you consider Proposition 8.

And of course we shouldn’t forget that national election today:

Luna is joining us in absentia:


[click to enlarge]

Her boarding place is not far from our polling place, so I’ll pay her a visit after voting…

Unlike many other civilized (and not-so-civilized) countries, Election Day is not a holiday here in the U.S., and so some of us have to go to work. That includes me, as well as the construction crew here at CatSynth HQ. Making Election Day a holiday one of those things we question every four years and then never do anything about.

UPDATE

Well, the deed is done. It was actually a long line when I arrived late this morning. It seems that they temporarily ran out of ballots. It was a chance to talk to some other people from the neighborhood while waiting. I think all of us in line nearby worked in computer software. And indeed most of the line appeared to be a “blue demographic.”

I did go visit Luna afterwards. It was a wonderful moment of peace and calm amidst the current intensity and excitement and anxiety. I will remember that as part of this day.

Now there is nothing to do except await the results…