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Tag: cat

  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more: The Storm

    California was hit by a nasty set of winter storms this weekend, and our soon-to-be-former home in
    Santa Cruz was certainly in the middle of that:

    Spectacular white-capped waves, heavy rains and high-powered winds battered Santa Cruz County on Friday causing clogged roads, sending trees and power lines into houses and buildings and flooding area roads..

    Even from our window, it was obvious this wasn't an ordinary winter storm:

    Even more than the rain, the real problem was the wind, well over 60MPH at times. And with wind comes power outages:

    There were 46,010 PG&E customers without electricity in Santa Cruz County as of Friday afternoon, said company spokesman Jeff Smith.

    We were among those customers, with power out until well into the evening. No lights, no heat, no internet or radio, and only a small amount of phone service. Perfect time for some extra long afternoon naps:

    Luna has recently found this black pillow and made it her own.

    At some point in the afternoon, I decided to try going out, maybe find a cafe with some electricity, warm drinks, and internet service. But it seemed that the entire town was without power, and most businesses were shuttered. This is what a hurricane must feel like as the storm approaches. A bit disappointed, I returned to the cold, dark house, for at least the warmth of a blanket and “kitty love.”

    As afternoon turns to evening, the lack of light becomes more of a problem for humans. But for cats, who have excellent night vision, activities can continue largely uninterrupted:

    Indeed, Luna was quite active in the early evening as darkness settled in.

    Fortunately for us humans, power was restored to some parts of town by early evening, and I was finally able to go find a cafe for warm drinks and internet service (and to recharge the all important cell phone). The chatter of others and bustle of activity was quite welcome, indeed. But still no power at our house; our block was frustratingly dark even as others started to light up. I was able to spend some time and enjoy a warm meal at a the home of a friend whose power had returned, and by around 9 or 10PM our power was finally back on. As I returned to the house, I could see Luna's face peering out the window, with light in the background…

    Weekend Cat Blogging #135 is being hosted by Katie and Puddy of A Byootaful Life. It seems that they are experiencing a rainy weekend as well, and they're inviting everyone to come inside.

    The Carnival of the Cats has a new home at The Cat Blogosphere, and they will be celebrating the inaugural edition this Sunday.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Ammie & Menagerie at Sleeping Mommy. The option theme is “Gotcha Day Stories.” You can read about Luna's Gotcha Day from this anniversary post back in June.

    And of course Friday Ark #172 is at the modulator.

  • Weekend Cat Blogging: A day of the year

    For our last Weekend Cat Blogging of the year, we weave several of our favorite photos from past into a narrative about the present.

    Of course, we at CatSynth wouldn't deign to open such a narrative with “it was a dark and stormy night”. But it was a very gray morning, a bit like the Dark Gradient we posted a couple of weeks back. Yet another perfect day for lying by the heater:

    Dark or otherwise, I have been an early riser of late. Even on a Saturday, up by 9AM, and fresh coffee brewing soon after. Certainly the thing to get one alert and wide-eyed:

    Actually, morning coffee is an opportunity to relax and enjoy a moment before the real work of the day begins. Read a bit, listen to the radio, do a crossword, and start on some Weekend Cat Blogging. But none of it was happening. Too weary, too numb. Back to bed.

    To her credit, Luna soon left her comfy perch above the heater to join me. She's always ready to provide much needed “kitty love.” Of course, she has to first knead her spot on the bed:

    Cuddling up for a morning nap, and letting go of the outside world and its worries. Yes, that's what we needed. And now we will be ready to continue with our day…

    Things can change very fast. A phone call around noon sets in motion events that may determine the fate of “soon-to-be-former CatSynth HQ.” I can spare you the details, except to say we suddenly need to clean up a bit more than we have been. There's all the boxes and debris such from our expected move:

    along with our general sloppiness over the past few months:

    But in addition to the task at hand, there is the melancholy of what we will be leaving behind. Some favorite spots, for one:

    But we have our photos and our memories, and of course, we should have new favorites in our future home.

    So it's back to work for us…

    The main focus of today's effort is the downstairs studio/office room, scene of many creative and musical moments:

    as well as some moments of comfort:

    The goal for today, and indeed for much of work around the house, is simply to get things clean and organized. From complete chaos and bewilderment to something manageable, that we can envision packing up and moving. We have been fortunate to count on our friends to help us in the effort, today as well as last week. And their help has been invaluable. Indeed, the last month has reminded about friends and family and what's important in life:

    It looks like we're not the only ones going through the challenges of moving. Kashim and Othello and Astrid were going to host Weekend Cat Blogging #134, but they have just moved and are temporarily without internet access. Fortunately, Samantha and Tigger have stepped in to host the New Years Edition of WCB.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Zed Monster and The Bad Kitty Cats. The optional theme is “birds or feathers.” Hmmm, that sounds rather familiar…

    Carnival of the Cats returns this Sunday to its original home with Laurence Simon. And of course Friday Ark #171 is at the modulator.

    [Note: There may be some trouble with the comment system for this post. If you have trouble leaving a comment, please contact us with your name and text and we'll be happy to post in on your behalf.]

  • CatSynth video

    From myspacetv:

    catsynth

    Add to My Profile | More Videos

    was repairing my alesis ion when my cat arkansas started wanted attention.

  • CatSynth pic: studio35d Pics from the Past

    From studio35d, via matrixsynth:

    studio34d wrote in to let me know he put up some pictures of his studio some time around 1990-1991. Spot the synths and the cat. You can find the list of synth in this image here. Be sure to check out the rest of studio35d as well.

  • CatSynth pic: Korg DSS-1 Sampling Cat

    From derma_tek, via matrixsynth:





  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Luna's "Burfday"

    Well, we had a cold, dark, and camera-less night, but that didn't stop us from kicking off Luna's “Burfday” Weekend. Here's a slightly blurry cell-phone photo of Luna:

    We had a bit more fun today, and even managed to scrounge up an old camera for some photos. It wouldn't be a birthday without new toys:

    And Luna is expecting some more exciting things in the mail real soon.

    Of course, there is still plenty of time for rest on a favorite spot, especially as it has been very cold this weekend (even dipped below freezing for a bit):

    We're doing the best we can to have some enjoyment and celebration in this really hard, transitional time.

    Oh, and Luna is now three years old 🙂

    UPDATE: See Luna's “burfday” diary entry at Catster.

    Weekend Cat Blogging will be at Life from a Cats Perspective with Samantha Black and Tigger. The “holiday meow singing” brought us a brief smile.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Pet & The Bengal Brats at Pet?s Garden Blog (I think we need both mittens and socks for the cold). The Carnival of the Cats will take place this Sunday and Monday at This, That and The Other Thing. And of course the Friday Ark #167 is at the modulator.

  • CatSynth pic: one musical cat

    From nekonekosoft at flickr:

    Yes, he's composing on my synth there. Neko progressive rock go!

  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Away for Thanksgiving

    Well, I am away in New York for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and Luna remains at the (hopefully) soon-to-be-former home in Santa Cruz. So I thought it would be appropriate to share some more photos of Luna from our favorite cat sitter Ronni West:

    Perhaps this trip is a little more bittersweet because the “long weekend is longer than a weekend”. We're going to be stuck in away-from-home state for a bit longer, it seems. Hopefully not too much longer. But it is good to know that meanwhile she is getting lots of love and care.

    Weekend Cat Blogging #129 is being hosted by our friends at the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats. It looks like Pepi had a bit of a scare with a candle, but everyone is fine. Everyone, please be extra careful with fire safety. A candle can easily turn into something terrible for everyone.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted this weekend at Mind of Mog; Carnival of the Cats is going to Wonkitties this Sunday. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

  • Heroic cat alerts man to two-alarm blaze

    From our local ABC affiliate:

    BURLINGAME, Calif. Nov. 21, 2007 (BCN) – A man slept soundly this morning while a fire burned his home in the unincorporated Burlingame Hills area of San Mateo County, fire officials said.

    Luckily, the man's cat woke him and alerted him to the blaze, Central County Fire Department Battalion Chief Ed Barton said.

    The fire burned the man's home, which is a guesthouse located in front of a house located at 3037 Canyon Road, Barton said.

    The two-alarm fire was burning when the man woke to put his howling cat outside, Barton said. The man went back to bed but woke again to the cat's insistent meowing.

    When the man got out of bed to attend to the cat, he saw the fire and called 911 at about 5:21 a.m., Barton said.

    The cat was not harmed by the blaze, and the man appears to have escaped safely as well.

    What makes this story particularly significant is that I saw this fire. I happened to be staying in the Burlingame/Hillsborough hills above the canyon. I heard the sirens and saw the smoke, and then the fire, which looked to be quite large (as “guest houses” can sometimes be in this area). Many of you may have read about our nasty wildfire season here in California, so there is always a small worry of a house fire spreading up a canyon – fortunately, the weather has been pretty cold and damp lately.

    Fires are terrible events. It was fortunate that both the cat and the man were safe.

  • CatSynth pic: Scooter and Synthesizer

    Another from Maggie Osterberg, featuring Scooter: