chaos festival

Weekend Cat Blogging: Luna and Geometry

Cats, geometry, mathematics and art have been a theme of late here at CatSynth.

Remember this photo of Luna next to one of our geometric glass tables? Well, Luna seems to quite enjoy spending time in and around it. So there is now quite a collection of photos contrasting her organic shapes with the linear geometry of her surroundings:

We had some more surreal green kitties this past Wednesday. And Luna gets into the “green theme” as well:

And with Earth Day approaching, “green” seems quite appropriate. Of course, it's always green here at CatSynth with Luna's emerald eyes.

Weekend Cat Blogging #150 is being hosted by Mog, Meowza and Cece at Mind of Mog.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be held at the Cat Blogosphere.

This Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Aloyisius at Catymology.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: A beautiful and sad weekend

It's been a weekend of contradictions, of warmth and fun and rest and work and excitement and fear and sadness.

We lost a friend and former colleague this past week. But we also got to see friends we haven't seen in quite a while. We are still saddened and worried at frightened for our feline friends caught in a terrible fire (UPDATE: we just heard that they are alive!). But we continue to settle into our own home, and things are taking shape.

And it's been warm and sunny hear at CatSynth HQ, perhaps the best weekend since we moved to the city. And there is so much to do, both fun and work, but at the same time we just want to lie around, and enjoy a little of what's important.

We have watched our friends, locally and online, deal with much sadness and tragedy over the past few months. For us, there is an exciting but anxious new life beginning.

Sometimes it's hard to write. But here we are.

A special edition of Weekend Cat Blogging will be jointly hosted by A Byootaful Life, HotMBC and Kashim and Othello at the Cat Blogopshere.

Kashim and Othello are pulling double-duty, actually, as they are also hosting Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted today by Mr. Tigger at M-Cats Club.

And of course the Friday Ark is at modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Glass and metal

This weekend, Luna relaxes by the glass and metal table, just like she used to in our previous home:

Perhaps this is a good weekend to join some of our friends in Photo Hunters, as the theme this weekend is “metal.” Or “Easy like Sunday”, even though it's Saturday.

It looks like more of our friends are experiencing the joy that is moving one's home. Megan and the Bad Kitty Cats are moving. We wish them well. Samantha and Tigger have stepped in to host this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos.

This seems to be a rather mobile weekend, and the “cat boys” Kashim and Othello will host Weekend Cat Blogging #146 just as soon as they get back from their Easter trip.

The Carnival of the Cats will be also be this Sunday at Chey's Place. And of course, the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Our thoughts this weekend are with the family of Smudge. He passed away this Friday.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: "Light"

This weekend we have some interesting “bright” photos:

It is amazing how the diagonals in both photos seem to line up.

In the first we have Luna peering off one of the balconies, as she is wont to do . The second could be an “easy like Sunday” photo, but one can also see the bases of Luna's paws, which is the theme of this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos. No chaos here, of course.

Some sad news this weekend from our friend's at What Did You Eat. Upsie has being diagnosed with cancer. Her prognosis is pretty grim. She does at least get to go off of her diet and enjoy some of the pleasures of life for last few months. We at CatSynth extend our thoughts to Upsie and to our friend sher – they also lost Sundance last summer.

Weekend Cat Blogging #145 will be held at the The Cat Blogosphere.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be hosted this weekend by Pet & The Bengal Brats at Pet?s Garden Blog. The optional theme this weekend is “toes and claws.”

Carnival of the Cats will be on this Sunday at This, That and The Other Thing.

And of course Friday Ark #182 will be at the modulator

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Art and LOLs

The theme for this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is LOLcats. We at CatSynth enjoy LOLcats, though I have never really had Luna as the subject of one. But we could really use a laugh this weekend, so here's our contribution, based on Luna's V-Day photo:

moar funny pictures

I guess more “sweet” than “funny.” But still, it works for us.

I also created a cubist mod of the same photo:

I felt like doing something nice for Luna by creating this images, but I think she would probably prefer a “cheezburger.”

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted this weekend by Astrid and the “cat boys” Kashim and Othello. It's the LOLcat Edition.

Weekend Cat Blogging #144 is being hosted by the bengals at Pets Garden Blog. Happy Birthday to Tigger and Pet!

The Carnival of the Cats will be at Artsy Catsy this Sunday. How appropriate for our attempt at feline art.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Studio

Luna looks out the window, as the new studio starts to take shape.

We see a side rack here, with a couple of colorful E-MU modules, and a couple of classic Yamaha FM modules. Near the window is a non-electronic instrument, a large bell made from a spent CO2 cartridge.

Of course, the main attraction is Luna with her perfectly groomed fur and sharp pose. This might be one of my favorite photos of her to date in our new home.

We saw Luna playing hide-and-seek in the studio last weekend. And that is the theme of this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos, hosted this weekend by Chandra & Samantha at New Tuxedo Gang Hideout.

Weekend Cat Blogging #143 is being hosted this weekend Meowza at Mind of Mog.

The Carnival of the Cats is happening this Sunday at Grace & Kittens. And of course the Friday Ark #180 is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Getting packed

This weekend is the beginning of the big final pack-up of our home. And for Luna, things are definitely changing:

She definitely is good at watching over things, and is wise enough to stay out of the way, lest we end up with something like this:

Even though the drama has been building up for weeks and isn't over yet, we still have some time and space for humor 🙂 Seriously though, we have a long way to go before “we iz all paked.” A lot of the major stuff is already done, or waiting for the pros. But in the meantime, the devil is in the details, as it often is.

Weekend Cat Blogging #137 is being hosted by Pumpkin, along with Upsier and sher at what did you eat. Pumpkin is settling into his new home quite nicely.

The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos is being hosted by ” Mz. Mog & Kitty Cats” at Mind of Mog. The Carnival of the Cats is going to Missy, KC, Sol and Smokey this Sunday. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

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.

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Weekend Cat Blogging and more: December morning

This Saturday morning, we see Luna enjoying a different window:

It was a very cold morning, with frost.

Frost isn't very common for this part of California, though we have had a lot of frosty mornings this December. Yes, it has been quite cold. Perfect for spending even more time on a favorite perch above the heater:

But we all know the best source of heat is curling up together for some cuddling and pets:

This of course brings us to the theme of this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos: family and friends. Being close to one's family, human or feline, is important, and for me what keeps me going during what is an otherwise “difficult” period. Friends, too. And we hope to hear from some of our friends this weekend…

Weekend Cat Blogging Holiday Edition is being hosted by Katie and our favorite Luna-look-alike Puddy. Puddy seems even more like Luna than usual (except for the hat).

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by our friends Astrid, Kashim and Othello at Catboys Realm. As stated earlier, the theme this weekend is “friends or family,” and it looks like Othello is getting things started with a sibling tribute of his own.

The holiday edition of Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Missy and KC at The Cat Blogosphere. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.