This morning, I acquired the new Silverlake lens and film pack for the Hipstamatic iPhone app and tried it out on Luna. After a few attempts, I got this particularly nice portrait.
I like that even through the filter, Luna’s green eyes stand out.
She was also quite talkative, and I captured a short iPhone video where you can hear her sweet little voice:
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at the Tuxedo Gang Hideout.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
My latest podcast is up. This is an episode I have wanted to do for a while for my show The World of Wonder on San Francisco Community Radio (KUSF in Exile). It features tracks by several friends, and a special guest appearance by “DJ Luna.” Please check it out.
World of Wonder, Cat Edition, March 14, 2013
With DJ CatSynth and guest appearance by DJ Luna
10:00AM-10:04AM (3:44) Ubiquity “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat (The Aristocats)” from Rewind! 5 (2006)
10:04AM-10:10AM (5:58) Cujo “Cat People” from Trip Hop & Jazz 4 (1998)
10:10AM-10:14AM (4:13) Protea “Mau Bast (feat. Retribution Body)” from Going Forth By Night (Rock, 2011) on Protea
10:14AM-10:18AM (4:08) Pram “Track of the Cat” from Dark Island (2003) on Merge Records
10:18AM-10:24AM (6:06) Psychic TV “BLACK CAT” from Trip Reset (Rock, 1995) on Genesis P-Orridge
10:24AM-10:31AM (6:40) cEvin Key “Wind On Small Paws” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records
10:32AM-10:42AM (10:18) cEvin Key “Meteorite” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records
10:42AM-10:44AM (1:30) cEvin Key “Musik fur Cats” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records
10:44AM-10:48AM (4:35) The Lions “Jungle Struttin’” from Jungle Struttin’ (CD, Album, Reggae, 2008) on Ubiquity Recordings, Inc. (USA)
10:48AM-10:50AM (1:39) Joseph Keckler “Cat Names” from Cat Names – Single (2011) on Joseph Keckler
10:50AM-10:55AM (4:47) Amar Chaudhary “Octave Cat Improvisation 24 April 2007” from Octave Cat Improvisation 24 April 2007 (Single, 2007)
10:55AM-10:57AM (1:58) The Felines “Daddy Walk” from Daddy Walk – EP (2012) on Dirty Water Records
10:57AM-10:59AM (2:21) The Felines “BOOTS” from Daddy Walk – EP (2012) on Dirty Water Records
11:00PM-11:04PM (3:38) The Cure “The Love Cats” from Staring At The Sea: The Singles 1979-1985 (1983)
11:04PM-11:13PM (9:12) Nommo Ogo “A Call to Cats On the MMoon” from Across Time and Space (2009) on Record Label RecordsLocal
11:13PM-11:18PM (4:52) ISAN “Kittenplan A” from Lucky Cat (2001) on morr music
11:18PM-11:25PM (7:06) ISAN “Caddis” from Lucky Cat (2001) on morr music
11:25PM-11:29PM (3:59) Dale Hoyt “Transgenic Hairshirt” from Transgenic Hairshirt (Single)
11:29PM-11:30PM (1:26) Kristin Miltner “Space Shooter: Girl Avatar” from Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Dreaming and Playing(2010) on Asthmatic Kitty (US)
11:30PM-11:32PM (1:24) Kristin Miltner “Leapster WordChasers (like Pac Man, with kitties)” from Leapfrog Leapster
11:33PM-11:38PM (4:44) Mindaugas Piecaitis with Nora the Piano Playing Cat “CATcerto” from CATcerto (Single, 2009)
11:38PM-11:42PM (3:59) No No Nancy “Metal Squirrel Space Adventure HQ” from Metal Squirrel Space Adventure HQ (Single, 2004)
11:42PM-11:44PM (2:44) Kodek “The Tin Foil Cat Groove” from Offline Synthwave (2012) on UNIVERSAL FUNK RECORDS
11:44PM-11:49PM (4:57) Protea “Sa Sekhem Sahu (feat. tara ntula)” from Going Forth By Night (Rock, 2011) on Protea
11:49PM-11:50PM (0:40) Theresa Wong “Feline Pantomime” from The Unlearning (2011) on Tzadik
11:50PM-11:53PM (3:20) Kitten On the Keys “Mister Deep Blue Sea” from Salty Meat Girl (2007) on Rug Burn SF
11:53PM-11:59PM (5:38) Cat Power “ENOUGH” from Myra Lee (1996) on Smells Like Records
This week’s Photo Hunt theme is easy. We have tons of monochrome photos, from art photos to snapshots and everything in between. Here is a snapshot of Luna taken this morning with a black-and-white film preset on the iPhone Hipstamatic app:
This photo, with Luna walking among the chrome pillars around CatSynth HQ, could have easily worked for last week’s theme as well.
Looking back, I have definitely moved between periods of color and black-and-white in my photography. 2010 was probably the most monochromatic year for me. Here is a monochromatic close-up portrait of Luna I used for a Weekend Cat Blogging back in 2010.
We should do some more portraits like that again this year.
My video from last week’s performance came out quite dark, and ended up being a de-facto monochromatic piece with a purple tint. I encourage visitors to check it out in yesterday’s gig report.
The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is Monochrome.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Mind of Mog.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
For this week’s Photo Hunt theme of Steel, we once again did into the CatSynth archives for a couple of views of Luna with our metallic modernist interior design:
Technically, some of this is chrome, but I am pretty sure the metal in the black table below is in fact steel.
We opted for archival photos this week because CatSynth HQ is not the best backdrop at the moment, between the cleanup inside and construction outside, which has many things here out of place. But the scaffolding used by the construction crew is also an example of steel:
Hopefully, we can put things back in place here by the middle of this month.
The Saturday Photo Hunt features the theme of STEEL this week.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
For today’s Photo Hunt theme of Upper, we dug back into the archives for this photo of Luna on the upper ledge at CatSynth HQ:
Fortunately, she doesn’t walk up there too often (at least not when I’m around to witness it.)
We have embarked on a major clean-up of the upper level of CatSynth HQ. Compared to previous cleaning projects, this may be most extensive and ruthless in several years. Here, Luna sits in her favorite upper-level perch as various bits of detritus pile up before meeting the final destiny.
I was able to get a lot done last weekend (and Luna was of course on hand to supervise), but there is still a long way to go. This is as much a project of renewal as it is cleaning. Making way for the new…
The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is UPPER.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by the Florida Furrkids.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
We have another exceptionally cute Instagram of Luna this week:
This is another instance of our morning ritual where I put on my shoes – indicating that I am probably about to leave – and Luna comes running over and rolls around on the rug. She clearly wants me to stay and play with her, but the best I can do is promise to come back later. This leads to a roundabout entry in this week’s Photo Hunt, where the theme is Promise.
The Saturday Photo Hunt is up, with the theme of Promise.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Nikita and Elvira.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
Earlier this week, we had rehearsals at CatSynth HQ for my Thursday-night performance as the poetry-and-music duo “Pitta of the Mind.” And Luna was on hand to supervise and support.
Her annoyed expression has more to do with the camera flash than anything else. She was very curious and hung out with us during the rehearsal, which was great to see as she is usually quite shy. And of course, she is quite used to the strange sounds from the iPad and modular synth.
The show itself was great, and will be the topic of a separate post in the near future.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Samantha, Clementine and Maverick.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
I took this Instagram of Luna napping on her beanbag chair in the studio area the other day. What could be more peaceful than a cat curled up in a favorite spot for a nap.
The image also brought to mind this week’s Photo Hunt theme of Haven at multiple levels. CatSynth HQ is itself a haven that protects us from the outside world. But within the overall expanse, the studio area provides another level of enclosure or refuge. And sinking into her beanbag chair, Luna finds a haven within a haven.
The theme also brings to mind the town of New Haven, Connecticut, where I attended Yale many years ago. I don’t have any photos of my own from that time, though I did do a Fun with Highways post about the town back in 2007.
The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is Haven.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up on Sunday at iInfidel.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
It’s a new year, and Luna is ready to play.
She always seems particularly eager for attention when I am about to leave home, which point she launches into a rather effective guilt trip. But this week she has been getting quite a bit of extra attention, between the New Years vacation and my feeling under the weather the last few days. It has actually been a good time to catch up on cats and electronic music.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by Nikita and Elvira at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.
And the Friday Ark is postponed until next week…
