I managed to get this photo of Luna sitting in front of a ledge overlooking the downstairs. I think she matches the works of art on the wall quite well.
Astute readers may recognize the large black painting from one of our reviews last October. See if you can pick out the artist.
Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted this weekend by The Meezers.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up on Sunday at iMeowza.
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
A day when I was feeling mildly ill turned into an incredibly creative and productive day, including lots of time in the office/studio.
Here we see Luna sitting on the ledge that borders the studio area. In the background one of our main workstations, with Pro Tools running on the computer, and the trusty E-MU Proteus 2000 module off to the side (it’s back in its rack after the recent Reconnaissance Fly performance). One of several photographs by our friend Luxe hangs in the back.
The studio ledge is the highest point in CatSynth HQ, which makes it attractive to cats. There is also another workspace against the ledge where I often sit, so she likes to be nearby.
Note that the duck is actually musical instrument that I have used in several live shows :).
I do sometimes feel a little nervous when Luna gets up the ledge, given how high it is above the floor below. But I am putting my faith in her feline balance and dexterity. Eventually she comes done into the space itself to curl up for a nap, often on her favorite beanbag chair:
Weekend Cat Blogging #231 is being hosted by Diamond and Tristan over at digicats. Do check out their cool graphic featuring another black cat with green eyes and a human “cat woman” companion.
The Carnival of the Cats will be going to Nikita’s Place this Sunday.
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
For Weekend Cat Blogging, we selected a photo of Luna standing atop a table, i.e., someplace she is technically not supposed to be, but there is no stopping a cat from claiming every accessible surface.
The theme for this week’s Photo Hunt is artificial, which is an interesting and subjective term. One could say everything is the above photo except for Luna is “artifical” in that is was constructed by humans. But if one uses artificial to mean simulated or “fake”, then the banana is the most appropriate object. It is actually a musical instrument, a shaker.
In a sense, most of our Weekend Cat Blogging posts explore the contrast between Luna’s natural beauty and her artificial surroundings:
Then again, most humans and domestic cats live in artificial dwellings (unless they live in caves or trees), whether they think about it that way or not.
In the last photo, Luna once again poses on top of her scratching post, which is by now quite worn and will soon need to be replaced.
Weekend Cat Blogging #219 is being hosted by LB and Breadchick at The Sour Dough. They make the somewhat disturbing observation that August is already half over (it has been going by fast).
The Carnival of the Cats will be at Artsy Catsy this Sunday.
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator. It’s edition 256, which is a good number.
This weekend we are combining Weekend Cat Blogging with the weekly Photo Hunt theme of triangles. It’s been quite a “triangular” week here, including our last wordless wednesday architectural photo. Simple geometry like triangles are often featured in my photos, as well as the interior design at CatSynth HQ, so it’s not hard to find Luna and a triangle together. Indeed, the contrast of Luna’s organic curved form to the angular geometry of of her surroundings has been a regular theme.
This particular glass table, one of our favorites, features multiple triangles (anyone care to count them)?
We at CatSynth also wish everyone a happy Pesach (Passover) and Easter.
Our friends LB and Breadchick host the Easter edition of Weekend Cat Blogging. No rabbits or resurrections, but plenty of feeling antics by LB and the other participants.
Samantha and Tigger host this week’s Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos at Life from a Cat’s Perspective.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Artsy Catsy. We are joining them today is sending thoughts for the pets and other animals last week’s earthquake in Italy.
The friday ark is at the modulator. And also check out this week’s photo hunt.
The construction at CatSynth HQ is finally done.
To their credit, the construction crew did an impressive job cleaning up. As one can see in the above photograph, it is beginning to feel like home again, albeit with a few boxes scattered about.
Luna tentatively explores as things move back into place. There is still a lot of work to do, however. And no where more so than in the upstairs studio area. I was never particularly happy with the layout, and this is an opportunity to do it right. But it will take some significant effort to plan and organize. And I do want space as soon as possible to resume more serious creativity, musical and otherwise. So it is going to be a balance between “doing it right” and “doing it quickly (and cheaply).”
Weekend Cat Blogging #192 is being hosted by Mr Tigger and the M-Cats Club.
Kashim, Othello and Salome will host this weekend’s Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Pet’s Garden Blog
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
Luna is back home again after the China trip and final round of construction at CatSynth HQ. Things are almost back to normal.
We now get plenty of sunlight again.
But we still have much of the paper and plastic material covering the floors, and we are anxiously awaiting the cleaning crew. Cleaning day is supposed to be today actually, but so far no sign of the crew. Not having the cleaning done today would be annoying for a variety of reasons, some of which are not appropriate topics for WCB. For now, we are simply eager to start putting everything back in its place, including our artwork:
But meanwhile Luna continues to demonstrate that she, too, is a work of art, very graceful and elegant.
Sir Tristan Tabbycat Longtail hosts a very manly Weekend Cat Blogging in honor of tomorrow’s big game.
The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos returns to its roots with Megan and Bad Kitty Cats.
The Carnival of the Cats will be going up this Sunday at Mind of Mog
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
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.
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.
We have been having a gorgeous week here in San Francisco. September is our real “summer” season, the warmest, clearest and driest month of the year.
Luna is an indoor cat, but today she was given a special opportunity to venture outside. It all begins with an open door:
All these new sounds and smells from the open portal pique her curiosity. Of course, they’re not entirely new, as she has experienced them through open windows. But this is different, and even a bit scary.
But curiosity wins out, and Luna steps over the threshold into this strange world.
Tentatively at first, she begins to stroll out onto the patio, taking in all the new sights, sounds, smells and textures.
Just as with our indoor habit, Luna’s natural beauty shines outdoors as well, against the plants and artwork.
The way she strolls about seems even more “panther-like” than usual.
Of course, this excursion only lasted a few minutes, as Luna made a hasty retreat indoors for a “shelter within a shelter.”
We are fortunate to have a large private patio with high walls here at CatSynth HQ, an usual feature in this section of the city. Part of the motivation for this outing is simply to share the experience of a sunny day on the patio with Luna, but also to give her a chance to become familiar with it, less frightened and more confident, in case she does get out accidentally; and to let her see how easy it is to find the door and come back inside. The walls are probably too high for her to scale, but one should never underestimate the athletic abilities of cats. I would not allow her out on her own. And I am sure some will question with wisdom of letting her out at all.
Nonetheless, it is a reminder that in life we do sometimes need to venture out and take risks. Not stupid, reckless ones, but at least some. Certainly, our move her was one such move, but it was worth it. And perhaps it is time to start taking more…
We at CatSynth are also thinking about our human and animal friends along the Gulf Coast, Cuba, and the Caribbean, whose weather will be anything but clear and sunny in the next few days and who may be facing evacuation exactly three years after Hurricane Katrina. Stay safe and dry, friends.
Puddy is definitely more confident outdoors than Luna, but this weekend they had even more in common than usual strolling on their respective patios. Puddy and Katie host Weekend Cat Blogging at A Byootaful Life.
The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by Pet and the Bengal Brats.
The Carnival of Cats will be hosted by Mom Robyn at a crystal and jewelry adventure.
And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
