Obsidian Kitten

You Can Throw Your Shells on the Floor, and Dining Out, 1970s Style

2011-12-03T14:26:00.015-05:00

Last night we went out to dinner with my 4 year-old neice. She assured me that the restaurant, a steakhouse, served "cowboy food," and, best of all, they gave you unlimited peanuts and allowed you to throw the shells right on the floor! No, really, right on the floor!

This was her new favorite restaurant (primarily due to the peanuts), but it turned out that on her previous visit, the wait staff had been decked out in cowboy hats and boots (but not last night). Also, much like at Johnny Rocket's, the waiters have to get up and dance when a particular song comes up on the jukebox. (It's not bad enough that they have to wait tables for what may well be less than minimum wage, they have to perform every half hour? Secondly, and perhaps directly related to the aforementioned humiliation--these poor kids couldn't line dance to save their lives.)

Observe the large quantity of peanut shells underfoot.

Anyway, I got to thinking about what a big impression little things--like being allowed (nay, encouraged!) to throw peanut shells on the floor--make on you when you're four years old, and I had a childhood flashback of the Betty Crocker Tree House restaurant. In my memory, the place is as magical as Disneyland...decorated like a tropical forest, full of birds (fake birds) and complete with a chirping soundtrack that assured me that they were all about to come to life. Apparently this early General Mills restaurant venture was short-lived (1968-1973 or so) and I could only find two photos.

Hey everyone, it's the '70s!

The Betty Crocker Tree House I remember was in Columbus, Ohio (on Morse Road, according to my internet search). Mr. O'Kitten also remembers one, which must've been on Long Island. Google found one in Scottsdale, AZ. I found an ad in a 1973 newspaper that indicates that there were 3 of them. Maybe that was it?

The Tree House Restaurant is described in a 1970 Scottsdale newspaper: "'Dramatic' is the only word to describe the interior. Outside-inside labels the decor. Trees and greenery...make the Tree House bright and cheerful." ("Colorful garden colors" meant "adobe golds, tawny reds and browns, wildflower yellows, subtle olive greens...against a background of natural wood tones." Welcome to the height of '70s moderne! "Four pyramid skylights will provide natural sunlight for the trees that will grow inside." Which means that I didn't imagine the trees. And the b/w photo (above) proves that I didn't imagine the cages of birds, either--check out the upper right of the photo. Whew!

My family didn't go out to eat very often, so it always felt special when we did. I remember celebrating my birthday (maybe my 5th?) at a Bill Knapp's in Michigan. According to Wikipedia, "Bill Knapp's 6-inch chocolate birthday cakes, officially known as Bill Knapp's Celebration Cakes, were regarded as one of the chain's dearest features." Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember being brought a cake. And it's the first time I remember celebrating my birthday at a restaurant, with people singing out in public. That's crazy!

I miss restaurant placemats.

The International House of Pancakes also reminds me of the 1970s. There was one near where we lived in Augusta, Georgia. I don't actually remember eating there (okay, maybe once), but the big turquoise A-frame roof was something of a landmark. We did, however, have a station wagon that looked a lot like the one on that placemat.

We occasionally ate at Ponderosa. Our Ponderosa looked just like the one in the photo. Cafeteria-style restaurants were popular in the 1970s, and I remember getting my tray, going through the line (just like my school cafeteria!) and placing an order, then you'd get your steak or burger and it'd have that little plastic flag in it that was pink or red or whatever to indicate if it was rare, medium, or well-done. I love this 1977 TV commercial, because it shows the exact plate I remember: the metal one that sat in that thick wooden base with the shaped handles. And the foil-wrapped baked-potatoes--awesome!

Down South we had Shoney's Big Boy. It was a family-style restaurant, like Denny's, Bob's, or Frisch's. Apparently, Shoney's dropped the Big Boy from it's branding in 1984. We used to eat at Shoney's when my grandparents came to visit. It was one of those places that gave kids a coloring book and crayons (my niece was keen to get hers at the restaurant last night). I always found the "big boy" in his oddly checkered overalls a bit disturbing.

The last place I want to mention is Swensen's. It's the place we went for very, very special occasions, like after my annual piano recital or special school perfomances. If you've never been to one, it's a "San Francisco-style" ice cream parlor, and the menu has great sundaes (I mean, "cable carfaits") with names like the Coit Tower and the Gold Rush. The best part, though, was the cookie.

Health Insurance and Some Thoughts on Medicaid

2011-11-22T15:18:00.032-05:00

Protester at Union Square, November 17, 2011. Photo: Edward Arrocha.

One thing that's been on my mind over the past few weeks is the question often repeated on the news and in the media: what is OWS asking for? Granted, there is a detailed OWS declaration outlining "a feeling of mass injustice" thanks to a "corrupted system" that includes inequality and discrimination; environmental destruction and oil dependence; corporate control of the media, the courts, the government, and the economy; bank bailouts, executive bonuses at taxpayer expense, and improper seizure of homes during the mortgage crisis; lack of regulation of campaign finance; the right to education, privacy, and health care; and more. I've seen OWS summed up as "Corporate Greed is killing the American Dream" and many more nice, short messages that fit neatly on a signboard.

But at the heart of it, there is a focus on individual people and their own stories. I've heard it said again and again, "We all have a story." OWS includes the unemployed, underemployed, uninsured, and financially overextended, but it also includes many who are simply deeply concerned that our democratic system is broken and no longer provides equally for all of its citizens. I think, for the most part, people want jobs for fair wages; they want food (dare I say healthy food!), clothing, and shelter; they want health care for themselves and their families.

Frightening new statistics from the the U.S. Census Bureau place "100 million people — one in three Americans — either in poverty or in the fretful zone just above it." There are many who like to portray those on public assistance as lazy and undeserving of help and bemoan throwing their tax money into a "welfare state." The article goes on to point out, however, that "of the 51 million who appear near poor under the fuller measure, nearly 20 percent were lifted up from poverty by benefits the official count overlooks. But more than half were pushed down from higher income levels [emphasis mine]: more than eight million by taxes, six million by medical expenses, and four million by work expenses like transportation and child care." In other words, more than half of the 51 million Americans in this borderline-poverty category got there by doing the right thing: paying their taxes responsibly and taking care of themselves and their families by paying for health care, going to and from work, and paying for child care.

Protester at Union Square, November 17, 2011. Photo: Edward Arrocha.

As for Medicare and Social Security, there have been no cost-of-living increases to Social Security since 2009. 55 million Americans depend on this income to pay for their homes, food, and other necessities. Medicare allows them to pay for medication and the health care they need to live. The idea of cutting these programs is absurd -- Social Security benefits represent about 41% of the income of the elderly. And before Medicare was enacted in 1965, just 56 percent of seniors had hospital insurance. We--all taxpayers and all workers--pay into these programs. Cutting them will result in more homelessness, hunger, poverty, and needless suffering in the streets and public emergency rooms--resulting in more taxes and even higher insurance premiums.

As one example of what people are looking for in their lives, I turn to health care and how badly people want--need--health insurance.

Disaster Relief Medicaid was available to New York City residents from September 2001 through January 2002. Participants received four months of coverage through traditional Medicaid providers.

I once read an article about how people had used Disaster Relief Medicaid (DRM) in NYC after 9/11. Officials at the time seemed to be surprised by two things. The first was how many people signing up for DRM were gainfully employed but didn't have any health insurance, including business owners, construction workers, retail employees, even teachers. The second was how the enrollees used DRM--they had their eyes checked and got glasses, they went to the dentist, they saw the ob/gyn and got physicals and labwork done.

Squad Company 18 Firehouse shortly after September 11, 2001. Photo: Chris Clarke

The article illustrated one crucial point to me -- officials making policy are pathetically out of touch with their consituents and what they need. It was no surprise to me that people who work--often 60 to 70 hours a week--have no health insurance, as this was true of most of my friends. It also was not news to me that people want to get glasses, go to the dentist, and have regular medical check-ups.

Wall of posters searching for people missing after September 11, 2001. Photo: Chris Clarke

According to New York State's report on the DRM, the program was implemented by mandate from Governor Pataki about two weeks after 9/11 with a "streamlined" application process. "Infrastructure-supported communication with Medicaid computer systems suffered severe damage. Public transportation was disrupted. Information necessary to establish eligibility was not readily available. Faced with the likelihood of increased health care needs, and the inability to conduct business as usual...a new, time-limited program called Disaster Relief Medicaid/Family Health Plus [was created]. ... The DRM program was unprecedented, and so was enrollment. Thousands of New Yorkers signed up between September 2001 and January 2002. Thus DRM became an unintentional laboratory for examining the consequences of a radically simpliﬁed approach to government-funded health care." [P. 5] Mr. O'Kitten was among the 342,362 New Yorkers who enrolled. [P. 21]

Ray's Pizza in the West Village papered with posters searching
for people missing after September 11, 2001. Photo: Chris Clarke.

Unlike the traditional Medicaid application, DRM allowed you to have higher income ($716/month for individuals, $968/couples) and the only requirements (besides income) were that you be a NYC resident with a Social Security number. The application itself was reduced from 8 pages (plus supporting documents, like bank statements and pay stubs) to a single page. Approval was reduced to 1-5 days from 1-3 months. [P. 13]

Interestingly and importantly, "Providers reported discovering a number of early cancers, early-onset heart disease, and previously undetected diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and HIV among DRM recipients." And how much of a savings in actual dollars (not to mention prevented suffering) does such early detection represent? [p.7]

Lower Manhattan shortly after September 11, 2001. Photo: Chris Clarke.

Here's the report's documentation for the DRM enrollees' use of eye care and dental services: "Generally, utilization of Medicaid services by DRM enrollees was consistent with the regular Medicaid population. Exceptions were Dental ($125 million), Laboratory ($4 million), and Eye Care Services ($5.8 million), which were utilized at higher rates; and Inpatient Services ($194 million), which were utilized at a lower rate." [p.7] "More than 9,000 individuals [2.7%] utilized an inpatient service." [P. 15] Notably, "Nearly 23 percent of hospital admissions were for drug and alcohol treatment." [P. 15] Also of note, "More than 19,000 women sought treatment for gynecology services." [P. 15]

So what happened to DRM? "DRM was originally intended to provide four months of health care coverage. As the program evolved, it was decided to give DRM enrollees the opportunity to obtain regular Medicaid without a gap in coverage. This opportunity became the Transition Program. Following the four-month DRM authorizations, most enrollees (about 90 percent) were granted extensions, during which they could ﬁle a full application for regular Medicaid/Family Health Plus." [P. 21] "As of February 2003, there were 150,676 DRM enrollees, or 44.3 percent, who were ultimately transitioned to regular Medicaid or Family Health Plus from DRM." [P. 22]

The report notes a few interesting things in its conclusions. For instance, "The interviews and focus groups conﬁrmed that, for some people, the life circumstances that create the need for Medicaid often prevent people from obtaining the documentation required to prove eligibility." [P. 48] Any illness that affects physical mobility would certainly fall into just such a life circumstance, as would mental illness. It would also be difficult for someone juggling many hours of low-wage work and child care to spend a day filing for Medicaid. You have file in person (which means taking the day off of work and finding a babysitter) and you may be required to return if you don't have all the proper documentation with you, which is almost a given since they always seem to come up with something you didn't bring with you.

Marylanders seeking help flood the Baltimore County office
of the State Department of Social Services. Photo: Frank Klein

For a glimpse at how daunting the application itself is, you can look at it here. As for the required documentation, the DRM report points out, "Some individuals, primarily those who work “off the books,” have problems in documenting employment. Others who have difﬁculty include seasonal workers whose previous year’s returns may not reﬂect their current situation, workers with a variety of temporary jobs, and self-employed individuals with irregular income for multiple services. It also appears that the types of employment that do not offer health insurance are often the most difﬁcult to document." [P. 48-49]

"[DRM] Participants’ health status varied considerably. Many of the participants felt they were in relatively good health and needed only routine preventive examinations. They had often lived with dental problems, allergies, and chronic pain without receiving treatment except in emergencies. About ten percent of the participants had chronic health conditions such as diabetes, lupus, high blood pressure, and cancer that require ongoing care. Many stated they would do “whatever they could” to purchase the medications and treatments as often as possible. Their economic situation did not allow them to have the kind of health care their medical situation warranted [emphasis mine]. Each focus group had one or two elderly participants with at least one, and often multiple, serious, chronic health care problems. They could not afford to purchase the medications and treatments that were not fully covered by Medicare (even if they were enrolled)." [P. A-8]

"The many reasons for applying for DRM reﬂected participantsʼ diverse health needs. Many participants used DRM for preventive services such as check-ups, mammograms, pap smears, prostate exams, and lab tests. Dental services was mentioned most often. Receiving vision care was also a commonly used service. One participant saw a psychiatrist to help him with his reaction to 9/11. Those with previously diagnosed chronic health problems often enrolled to receive care they could not always afford in the past, including medications. Many said they signed up to receive health care services they knew they needed but could not afford [emphasis mine]. A number of individuals had relied on emergency room visits for treatment in the past." [P. A-8, 9 ]

Congress Voting the Declaration of Independence,
Edward Savage and/or Robert Edge Pine. c. 1776. Oil on canvas.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." [The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.]

If we are indeed a First World country, and believe in Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, it is indeed shameful that any one of us should endure ill health when modern medicine can relieve us of our suffering.

“Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
“But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”

Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
He will have the burial of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem."

Jeremiah 22:15-19

Protester at Union Square, November 17, 2011. Photo: Edward Arrocha.

OWS: Marching on November 17

2011-11-18T19:32:00.007-05:00

Rally in Union Square. Photo: Chris Clarke

Yesterday was November 17, and Mr. O'Kitten and I went downtown to join the Occupy Wall Street march. I didn't really know what to expect, or even where to go exactly, but after Bloomberg's wee hours closure of Zuccotti Park, seizure of the OWS People's Library (containing over 5,000 books), and subsequent harassment of people trying to go in and out of the Zuccotti Park, I was determined to participate in some small way.

I knew that there were actions planned beginning at 7am at the New York Stock Exchange and continuing throughout the day, but I had a noon appointment and Mr. O'Kitten had a class. We met up around 2pm just a few blocks from Zuccotti Park at Foley Square, which was already being barricaded by dozens of police officers. Mr. O'K was coming from City Hall, where there had been hundreds of marchers, police in full riot gear, and tension in the chilly autumn air.

Marchers on Lower Broadway. Photo: Chris Clarke

Mr. O’K reported that he’d been among a sizeable group of marchers heading south, and we met them coming back up Broadway in a drizzly rain. Dozens of police officers in single file walked alongside the enormous group, ordering anyone who stepped off the sidewalk back onto it. The NYPD officers occupied an entire lane of Broadway and we filled the sidewalk in the cold drizzle. I have no idea how many blocks of marchers there were, but when we crossed Canal and proceeded through SoHo, our chants echoed off of the tall cast iron buildings and filled Broadway with a tremendous chorus of voices. People stood in every storefront to see what was going on, taking photos and video along the entire route, many waving and smiling in solidarity. The windows and fire escapes over Broadway were also full of on-lookers, some waving their own posters and signs of support.

The rain stopped as we reached Union Square, having covered a distance of about three miles. We threaded our way alongside the Holiday Market (which was barricaded off), moving slowly through a narrow passage toward 16th Street. The entire northern half of the park was already full. The portion of the OWS protesting oppressive student debt had already begun, and I had no idea how many marchers were still behind us, yet to arrive.

Rally in Union Square. Photo: Edward "Eak" Arrocha

At this point I’d like to address the criticism that OWS "does not have a clear list of demands." As you look at photos or watch coverage of OWS, you will also notice signs with different viewpoints on them. However, one unifying point is the shared feeling that our current political system does not equally serve every citizen, but is biased toward (if not actually owned by) the rich and powerful. Convenient shorthand for this idea is the "1%," indicating "the richest 1% of people [that] are writing the rules of an unfair global economy" that does not work for most of us (perhaps 99% of us). There is the opinion that this is not democracy, accompanied by a strong desire to fix it.

The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, drafted in late September, does include a list of grievances that includes inequality and discrimination; environmental destruction and oil dependence; corporate control of the media, the courts, the government, and the economy; bank bailouts, executive bonuses at taxpayer expense, and improper seizure of homes during the mortgage crisis; lack of regulation of campaign finance; the right to education, privacy, and health care; and more.

We left Union Square and headed back downtown, to Foley Square. For two blocks, we were allowed to march in the street. This seemed odd to me, even as we triumphantly spread out across Fifth Avenue. Mr. O'K and I were somehow within a couple hundred people of the front of the march. At Fourteenth Street, we were blocked by a police barricade across the entire intersection. Shouts and gestures of "Go back! Go back!" began. Of course, turning a crowd of thousands around would be difficult, even if the massive group could successfully employ something like the People's Microphone.

Then it seemed like we could go forward. Cheers ensued.

But we were mistaken. "Turn around! Turn around!" Confusion. Drums were beating. People were chanting, waving flags. So much energy was contained in the thousands of bodies standing there with their hearts pounding and muscles coiled after walking for miles in the chill rain and then rallying, chanting, applauding and cheering in the park. The need to surge on was strong. The line of officers and police vans was like a small, frail dam trying to hold back a tsunami. A potentially very angry tsunami.

I overheard some people yelling, "Go around! Go around!" and I asked someone, "Can we go around? Because that's what we should do.” I tried to see the police officers over the heads of the crowd but I couldn’t. “I bet they want a confrontation."

Just then, a handful of people began shouting, "Sidewalk! Sidewalk!" We headed for it.

When we got close, a small knot of guys was similarly trying to figure out what to do. One of them was saying, "I think we should push through. We have thousands of people here. We can take them."

"But can we go around?" I asked.

"Well, there's a sidewalk, but it's just a trickle."

"If you try to push through, there'll be a confrontation," I said. "I bet they set up this blockade on purpose. We should just go around."

"It'll take forever to go around," he said. "I have friends in that building right there I can call," he added, indicating the opposite corner, where the second-story windows were papered with big signs saying "Occupy Students and Teachers/Take Back That Which is Yours." People were standing in the windows, waving their fists in the air. He looked at his phone.

Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. Photo: Chris Clarke

His friends started yelling, "Push through! Push through!"

I grabbed Mr. O'K and pulled him toward the corner. "I don't want to get caught here if there's going to be a battle with the police. If we can go around, we should. I bet they set it up like this to channel people onto Fifth Avenue and then stop them at the barricade on purpose. Let's go."

On Fourteenth Street, when we were moving again, about half a block from the barricade, another guy concurred with me. "They thought they could stall us there. The best thing is to keep moving--be flexible. They wanted to stop the march and wait us out."

I don't know if the police were that smart or not, but it occurred to me later that even if they hadn't planned to trap thousands of marchers in a dead end, it couldn't have worked out better for them. I still don't know if there were any altercations at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, but I hope not. All I know is that soon enough we were heading across the south end of Union Square and turning south to head back down Broadway, close to the head of a column of thousands of marchers, and evening was falling.

Union Square. Photo: Chris Clarke

It wasn't as cold as it had been in the afternoon, and there hadn't been any more rain. We made much slower progress than we had earlier in the day. The police regrouped almost as quickly as the marchers, and soon enough we were again flanked by a long column of officers. They walked in the western lane of Broadway, and we filled the sidewalk, doing our best to let pedestrians through. I noticed some things I hadn't earlier in the day, like the helmets most of the officers wore, which looked like motorcycle helmets that also covered the neck. Many of them had clusters of zip ties, the kind they use for handcuffs, hanging at their knees, and their batons looked really long and shiny.

There were about five helicopters in the air, one of which was a police helicopter hovering really low overhead. Police cars kept careening down Broadway, sirens yowling, interspersed with several NYPD buses--the kind they transport prisoners in. We passed a number of NYPD Communications Command Unit vans, their rooves full of James Bond-looking spy stuff. I also noticed a number of officers with hand-held video cameras filming us as we marched by.

An NYPD Communications Division Command Post

All through the day, I was continually impressed by the diversity of the crowd. As I mentioned in my previous OWS post, the media’s depiction of OWS protesters as a bunch of disenfranchised "hippie kids" is completely inaccurate. I saw people of many nationalities and skin colors, all ages, and all different backgrounds. Occasionally someone along the route would yell, "Get a job!" and inevitably a number in the crowd would shout back, "I have a job!" So obviously OWS includes both the employed and the unemployed. For awhile we were marching between a group of about eight children (the New York Children’s Brigade) between eight and ten years old who were very concerned about the environment and education and two couples who looked to be in their sixties.

When we finally got to Foley Square, I was astonished that it--like Union Square--was already packed with people. And there were presumably thousands more threading their way toward Foley Park; the column was still making its way down from Canal Street, nearly a mile behind us. It was about 6:30, it was dark, and we were both tired and hungry, so Mr. O’K and I made our way toward the subway.

Right outside the City Hall station, we passed two of the NYPD prison buses we'd seen earlier, both full of people wearing white T-shirts with "99%" emblazoned on them. We stood behind the barricades that lined the street in front of the Manhattan Municipal Building, waving our signs and chanting in solidarity until the buses pulled away, with people cheering and applauding as they passed. It turns out that these buses held the 99 people who had, in a premeditated act of civil disobedience, been arrested in a sit-in earlier on the Brooklyn Bridge. The number intended to draw attention to Occupy Wall Street's message: that OWS represents 99% of Americans.

The most inspiring thing that I've seen happen over the past week--to myself as well as to others--is that our city officials' actions (and those of Mayor Bloomberg in particular, who happens to be America's 12th wealthiest person, worth nearly $20 billion) have caused many people to feel a sense of moral indignation that has long been lying dormant. Subsequently, our political awareness has awakened, pulling us out of our frustration and apathy and spurring us into action.

I thank OWS for setting these events into motion.

O'Kitten Returns; Visits OWS

2011-11-15T21:06:00.009-05:00

I know you haven't heard from me in a year, but fortunately rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I'm alive, I'm well, and I'm still living in Queens. I haven't felt much like writing, but lately a subject has captured my attention and I'm going to post a bit about it. That topic is Occupy Wall Street (OWS).

When protesters began sleeping down in Zuccotti Park on September 17, I admit I thought it sounded pretty ridiculous. I pictured a few unemployed hipsters from Williamsburg with nothing better to do and figured after a week or so, when no one paid them much attention and their numbers failed to grow, they'd all pack up and go home. I had no idea that the "Occupy" idea would not only grab hold here, but would gain traction around the world, giving me as well as many others hope that maybe, just maybe, things might actually change.

In late October, I saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jg6f3n_WEE&feature=player_embedded#!

And I was inspired by Marsha Spencer. I thought, I can knit. I may not be down at Wall Street, but it's getting cold, and I can knit some hats. So I knit steadily for about two weeks.

On Friday, November 4, I headed into downtown Manhattan just as dusk was falling. I assumed that it'd be easy to find OWS when I got off the subway at Wall Street --every time I've ever encountered or participated in a protest, you can hear the roar of the crowd from many blocks away. But Wall Street was quiet, as it usually is after 6 pm on a weeknight. There were a few people in suits leaving office buildings, some police officers hanging about the subway entrances and in doorways here and there, and a few mounted on horseback. No crowds. It looked almost exactly like this:

Photo: rightherenyc.blogspot.com

I realized I didn't even know where Zuccotti Park was. (It was called Liberty Plaza Park until 2006, which sounds much more familiar.) I walked back and forth on Wall Street--finding no park, and no crowd. Wall Street is actually only eight blocks long (actually, Manhattan is pretty narrow down there anyway) and after I covered about half of Wall Street, it occurred to me that the park might not even be on Wall Street. Fortunately, signage for tourists abounds in the financial district, and I quickly located Zuccotti Park on a map and headed west to Broadway.

Zuccotti Park is that little green bit close to the center of the map,
just above the red A marker.

First I saw a row of food trucks, falafel and halal, tacos and fruit smoothies. I imagine they originally were daytime denizens, feeding analysts, traders, and tourists, but now they can stay around the clock for the occupiers, news media, and additional tourists. Their generators were humming but the park itself was quiet. It was chilly, in the 50s (10-13C), but not windy and the snow that we'd had the previous weekend was long gone.

Photo: Washington Post

Here again, I admit I was expecting the 33,000 square-foot (3,100 m2) park--home to hundreds of people with no plumbing for seven weeks--to be rank, smelly, noisy, off-putting, and disorganized. It was none of these things. I have an extremely sensitive nose, and, to my amazement, there was nothing smelly or dirty about the park. And it was quiet. No crazy drumming circles, no one doing drugs, no one playing hacky sack, no pervasive smell of pot wafting over the grounds. Imagine.

There was a broad path through the park lined by clearly marked areas, mostly with tables and chairs and people with literature and info available: Library, First Aid, Comfort (where I saw a number of coats and winter clothes, and left the hats and wristwarmers I'd knitted), Press Inquiries, Sustainability, Food, Civil Rights, Legal, Media, and many more.

Photo: http://javiersoriano.com

After one pass through the quiet park, I went out and circled back to where I'd come in. The sidewalk around the park was wide and clear, completely clean and impediment-free. On one end of the park a few flyers had been taped, most prominently the Good Neighbor Policy, which I'd also seen on large posters within the park. It included "zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol anywhere in Liberty Plaza; Zero tolerance for violence or verbal abuse towards anyone; [and] Zero tolerance for abuse of personal or public property."

When I'd come in, I'd noticed a group on the stairs at the end of the park. One person would say a few words, and then the group closest to them would repeat the words so the surrounding crowd could hear what was said. I've since learned that this is the "People's Microphone" that circumvents NYC's requirement for an “amplified sound” permit, which would ban microphones, speakers, and even bullhorns from Liberty Plaza. Well, no wonder it's so quiet down there. With drumming "limit[ed] ... on the site to 2 hours per day, between the hours of 11am and 5pm only" by OWS' own Good Neighbor Policy, the group seemed to me far from troublesome, at least in the way it's been depicted in the press.

Photo: Griffin Lotz

Now if you disagree strongly with the ideas behind OWS...well, that's a whole different discussion. But if (as I was inclined to do back in September) you're just complaining that they're a bunch of dirty, disorganized hippies (and, until now, has anyone used that word since the 70s except for Cartman?), you're just plain wrong.

I've been particularly saddened by the news of recent evictions of occupiers in Oakland and, last night, here in NYC. What city officials don't seem to realize is that such actions are only going to serve to make the Occupy movement stronger, because those of us who may have started out on the fence are going to take sides.

As they say, "You cannot evict an idea."

My friend Brian Scott has some wonderful photos of OWS here.

Best Contest Idea Ever: The Alien and The Kitty

2010-10-24T13:47:00.004-04:00

My best-contest-ever award goes to Nicole Peterson’s “The Alien and the Kitty” contest, being held now in memeory of her cat. The contest is titled "Nepenthe," the one who chases away sorrow. Contest entries will be artworks including her cat and the creature from Alien interacting to illustrate the theme. Such a cool idea! Contest deadline is October 31.

Pretty cool prizes, too. Contest rules and details here.

Nicole's beautiful cat.

And We're Walkin...

2010-09-19T20:39:00.003-04:00

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30108677@N08/3557515261/

New York is a pedestrian city, and one of my favorite things about living here is not owning a car.

A month ago I got a pedometer. My grandfather used to have one, and I was fascinated that it counted his steps every day. His wasn't digital, but was simply a counter that ticked off every time he took a step. He was a very active man, and since he knew the length of his stride, he could tell you the number of miles he walked in a day.

I read that ideally one would walk 10,000 steps in a day, which is close to 5 miles for the average person. Over the past 30 days I've averaged 6700 steps a day, or about 3.2 miles (a little over 5 km) -- without really trying (although I admit the pedometer has inspired me to walk a bit more than I normally would). Pretty amazing.

I love New York.

http://popupcity.net/2010/04/99-walking-men-worldwide/

The Last Hurrah of Summer

2010-09-01T15:05:00.009-04:00

Seems to be the Dog Days here in Queens--it felt like autumn last week and now it's in the 90s (32+ C) again. Ah well, my favorite season of the year will be here soon enough.

I'm working at Bobbi and the Strays two days a week now and it's the most satisfying job I've ever had. (Here are a few examples of things to which I can compare grantwriting for an animal rescue, if you're curious.)

It's keeping me busy, so there hasn't been much blogging. And if I hadn't already grown slothful about my blog, along came Facebook. Now if I have so much as a half-formed thought or a funny link, I just slap it into Facebook and that's it. No more blogging necessary. Facebook, drive-thru fast food windows, and remote controls are going to destroy our civilization, I tell you.

But can you eat it?

And now for today's link of total awesomeness (thanks to Moderncat, of course):

Check out her blog...tons of funny and her illustrations are absolutely terrific. And hey, maybe you'll want to bring something to the block party while you're at it!

The Bacon Party

2010-08-15T16:50:00.007-04:00

Over apple-wrapped dates at a tapas restaurant, an idea was born, and enthusiasm for it grew rapidly. A bacon-themed party...yes! It was brilliant! We would collectively clog our arteries and gain untold pounds all in the same evening. Word spread rapidly and there was talk of bacon donuts, bacon ice cream, and bacon bikinis.

In the end no one wore a bacon bikini, and Apple Pie with Cheddar-Bacon Crumble was the dessert of choice although, in all fairnesss, two fearless guests did make Bacon Ice Cream, it just failed to reach the desired consistency: it was described as "swampy" and unfit for public consumption. (Disappointing, that.)

Ingredients for the Apple Pie with Cheddar-Bacon Crumble.

The cheddary, bacony crumble.

The finished pie. (Can I just tell you how excited I am that Mr. O'Kitten is baking again?)

Preparing pigs-in-blankets with bacon inside.

I made macaroni and cheese cassarole with bacon and scallions. Mac and cheese is one of only two things I can cook. (The other is spaghetti carbonara which, incidentally, also has bacon in it.)

Baked maple syrup-glazed bacon-wrapped apples. Some were cayenne peppered. Amazing.

The Bacon Explosion

A few months ago we spotted The Bacon Explosion online somewhere. I was skeptical, but Mr. O'Kitten was determined to make it, and the Bacon Party was the perfect occasion. He got the gorgeous thick-cut bacon (shown above) and the sausage (below) from Faicco's Italian Specialties (known around here as "The Pork Store") in the West Village.

The Bacon Explosion involves weaving bacon into a mat, adding some dry rub, cooking the bacon, layering on sausage and barbeque sauce, rolling the whole thing up and adding more seasoning, then grilling or, as in our case, baking the whole thing.

The Bacon Explosion, ready to go into the oven.

Just out of the oven.

Slicing the Explosion.

I really didn't have any idea how extraordinary The Bacon Explosion would taste. Mmmm...

We didn't get pictures of all of the food, so here for your perusal is the complete menu:

Potato Skins with Cheddar and Bacon
Baked Maple Syrup-Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Apples, Dusted with Cayenne Pepper
Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Almonds
Bacon Cheddar Apple Quiche
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Scallions
Pigs in Blankets with Bacon
Bacon Explosion with Biscuits
Green Salad
Apple Pie with Cheddar-Bacon Crumble
Assortment of sherbert, sorbet and ice cream

For you knitters, I even knit a piece of bacon.

Emma made some new friends.

And fortunately, we didn't need one of these.

To everyone's disappointment, we couldn't find this. Maybe next time...

With Friends Like These...

2010-03-13T09:33:00.001-05:00

Not Your Mother's Urban Sombrero

2010-03-09T19:16:00.002-05:00

Mr. O'Kitten is a big fan of J. Peterman--both the J. Peterman-in-real-life catalogue and J. Peterman-as-Elaine's-boss on Seinfeld. I post this for him because it is highly amusing:

"...There's a formula to the Peterman descriptions, and it goes like this: Drop the name of a Noted Person (Hitchcock, Hepburn, Churchill). Drop the name of a romanticized obscure-ish place. (Cannes, Kyoto, Seychelles). Mention an occupation in the arts or sciences (filmmaking; entomology). Be specific when it comes to colors (pink is dusty rose; green is celery; off-white is cream). And lastly: The last digit of prices can NEVER be a five or a zero."

View the gallery for scores assigned to ten amazing Peterman selections with their illustrations and absolutely astonishing descriptions. If you thought J. Peterman only existed on Seinfeld, you're in for a treat. If you've never actually looked at the J. Peterman catalogue...well, hold onto your Urban Sombrero.

Hohohohohohoho

2010-03-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

This makes me think of the extraordinary potential one of my dear Severina's dirigibles, cat-shaped or otherwise.

If you make one quick-like (by next Tuesday) you can winwinwin...

On ice.

Oh Joy

2010-03-04T11:10:00.002-05:00

Set Your Watch and Head for the Moon Base

2010-03-03T13:21:00.003-05:00

Salvatore Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931

"The powerful earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday probably shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter, a NASA scientist said.

"Richard Gross, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, calculated that the planet's axis would have shifted by eight centimeters during the 8.8 magnitude quake, NASA said.

"'If the planet's axis did shift by eight centimeters during the Chilean quake, days would have shortened by 1.26 microseconds, Gross calculated.'"

From Chile quake shifted axis of the Earth.

Perhaps you've heard that they've discovered water on the surface of the moon. Maybe, like me, you found this fascinating, but wondered how much water: A couple molecules? A few drops? How about: enough for a moon base? That remains to be seen, but it's definitely more than a few drops.

Bring Me My Duster

2010-02-27T12:54:00.002-05:00

Accompanied by backing vocals that sounds eerily like Hall and Oates, we herald the return yet again of skinny jeans, ankle leggings, and (shudder) even stirrup pants.

These look eerily like something I would have squeezed
myself into twenty-some years ago. I'm just sayin'.

And again, more of the same, but these days we go without
the shoulderpads for counter-balance on the upper quadrant.
As I am no longer quite as slim as I was when I last donned acid-washed jeans with ankle zippers, I am left to wonder where that indispensible item of my 1980s wardrobe could be hiding: the long duster. A google image search of "duster jacket" turned up little that resembled this versatile garment; similarly, no photos of "corey haim lost boys" showed that young man sporting one of his many dusters from the 1987 film; only a smattering of Etsy entries seemed to have the right idea.

This is sort of it, although more fitted than what I remember.
I actually like it enough to consider ordering one.

This is more of a coat, but I like it. Looks like something from
the J. Peterman catalogue (which, incidentally, had no dusters).

Lousy photo, but the right idea. Sort of.
Fashion historians will probably note the similarity of our skinny jean/legging to the narrow pedal-pusher of the 1950s, and may wish to muse upon the historical trajectory of the duster from the American West through the 1920s to its 1980s resurgence. But I just want a nice long jacket to billow behind me as I disappear into dark alleyways. Is that too much to ask?

Undercover Berd

2010-02-22T14:50:00.004-05:00

Undercover Bird Feeder Slows Crime In Its Tracks

Don't skip the comments section:

"I have a birdbath disguised as a prostitute on my lawn. If people slow down when they see it that's just their fault."

Happy V-Day

2010-02-14T12:06:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. This picture has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, but it made me laugh hysterically this morning.

An acquaintance of mine has put together a wonderful resource for all animal-lovers, but especially those of us in the NYC area. The New York Companion is a free, bi-monthly, New York City-based newspaper that exclusively reports animal news and has a great website with comprehensive lists of links to pet-friendly restaurants, bars, hotels, and stores, dog runs and parks, health codes, cruelty laws, veterinarians and volunteering opportunities. It doesn't matter where you are, you can get a free online subscription and it's definitely worth checking out.

In other news, Mr. O'Kitten's Muni cat got a little recognition over at the Random Cat Project and I made a couple bibs and a hat, which Emma modelled for you before I gave them to the friend's newborn baby for whom they were intended.

You Know I Love Spot

2009-12-28T21:11:00.001-05:00

Doesn't "grammatically" have two 'M's?
But I quibble with their sentence fragment...

Cat Randomnimity

2009-12-12T16:44:00.005-05:00

Mr. O'Kitten took the photo in this post at The Random Cat Project. If you haven't been to the site before, it's kind of cool.

At the moment I'm fighting with iPhoto--am I the only one who hates this program? I don't need its useless attempts at face recognition, of all ridiculous things. All I want to do is resize my pictures and give them titles and be able to find them again later. This does not seem like too much to ask.

I've also managed to fill up an entire photobucket account over the years so I just have to start up another one and we should be good to go. I'm a bit annoyed with photobucket, too, but hey, it's free so yeah-okay-whatever.

And yes, there has been knitting. More to come...

I Was Depressed for Six Months but...

2009-12-12T02:41:00.004-05:00

I was depressed for six months, but then I saw this:

I'm all better now.

Stay tuned for more to come.

Speaking of a Box...

2009-06-12T10:01:00.002-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: Out of the Box

2009-05-26T14:52:00.002-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: There's Just Nothing Like A Box

At first Isis was in the box.

Then she got out of the box, so of course Morgan had to go in and inspect the box.

Isis had to inspect Morgan inspecting the box.

As you can see, Emma was satisfied to observe the proceedings from a safe distance.

Although she was sure she had seen her enter it, Isis had some difficulty ascertaining whether or not Morgan was still in the box.

Super Duper Uber Tiny

2009-05-23T01:37:00.004-04:00

What is this? It's the Rosetta Disk, with 13,500 pages of data describing 1,500 languages etched onto a tiny nickel data chip. To see an individual page, you'd need a 500x microscope. Thanks to Gizmodo for yet another fascinating tidbit (and I do mean tidbit).

According to The Rosetta Project, "Fifty to ninety percent of the world's languages are predicted to disappear in the next century, many with little or no significant documentation."

Why the Cats Like Mackenzie

2009-05-21T18:11:00.003-04:00

Lolcats offers one theory as to why Emma likes Mackenzie so much. Of course, Mack also pets her and brings her all her cat toys (and I do mean all her cat toys). She even puts treats and toys under the bed for shy Morgan.

I'm sure being a treat dispenser doesn't hurt her reputation with the household felines, though...

Cats on Tuesday: Miss Morgan in Repose

2009-05-19T09:26:00.004-04:00

Cats on Tuesday

A poet's cat, sedate and grave,
as poet would wish to have,
was much addicted to enquire,
for nooks to which she might retire,
and where, secure as mouse in chink,
she might repose, or sit and think.
I know not where she caught her trick,
nature perhaps herself had cast her,
in such a mold philosophique,
or else she learn'd it of her master.
Sometimes ascending, debonair,
an apple tree or lofty pear,
lodg'd with convenience in the fork,
she watched the gard'ner at his work;
sometimes her ease and solace sought,
in an old empty wat'ring pot,
there wanting nothing, save a fan,
to seem some nymph in her sedan,
apparell'd in exactest sort,
and ready to be borne in court.

~ William Cowper (1731 - 1800)

Cowper, a prolific poet and hymnist, is still known today for such quotations as the following:

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Olney Hymns (1779)--'Light Shining out of Darkness'

He also suffered from severe depressive episodes and numerous suicide attempts, convinced that he was condemned to hell eternally and that God was commanding him to make a sacrifice of his own life. Translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey, prolific writer, and hailed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as "the best modern poet," Cowper remains one of the most influential poets of his time.

Ode to Spot

Felix Catus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

~ Commander Data, Starfleet, United Federation of Planets

Cats on Tuesday: Our New Treat Dispenser

2009-05-11T12:19:00.003-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: Our New Treat Dispenser

At least once a week, our niece Mackenzie calls to come over and visit the cats. Recently she came bearing gifts: a package of cat treats.

Emma really couldn't care less whether Mackenzie brings her cat treats or not. For some inexplicable reason, this once shy, virtually feral kitten who has very rarely been exposed to children eagerly follows this energetic two-year-old from room-to-room, even allowing herself to be hugged and held. She enthusiastially plays with every toy Mack offers her and, on last visit, even submitted to a kiss. Go figure. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a treat now and then, either.

In other news, Isis is now Mackenzie's friend. This is directly due to the fact that Mackenzie now comes bearing treats. Isis hasn't hissed at her in at least four visits.

When she's here, Mack likes to talk to the cats on the telephone. She carries the handset around and announces which cat she's talking to at the moment. For example, she'll say, "I'm talking to Morgan." (Morgan is usually hiding under the bed or lurking just around the corner, as she still hasn't quite adjusted to the high and often noisy speed at which a two-year-old human moves, although she's very curious).

"I'm talking to Emma," Mackenzie announced to me, headset pressed to her ear.

Curious, I asked her what Emma said to her.

She furrowed her brow a bit as if I were half daft, obviously wondering how I could be quite so moronic. She replied matter-of-factly, "Meow."

Oh, of course. Emma says, "Meow."

Mack even put a headset on Emma, just like the one Uhuru wears on Star Trek. Emma very politely allowed her to do it, too. And then said, Meow. (Probably.)

Godzilla Kitteh Will Nom Yew

2009-05-06T11:40:00.005-04:00

You know how I love to see giant cats thwarting humankind. (Thanks to littleblackcrow for sending me the link to such a great blog.) You must take a brief moment to see Spanky vs. Samurai here.

Then of course, one can always has cheezburgers:

Cats on Tuesday: We'll Sing in the Sunshine

2009-05-04T12:05:00.004-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: We'll Sing in the Sunshine

Spring is definitely here. Hooray for sunbeams.

We also got a new thing recently. It came in a big box. (Hooray for tax refunds.)

Then there's the new towel warmer...

"We'll sing in the sunshine
We'll laugh every da-a-y
We'll sing in the sunshine
Then I'll be on my way..."
(Gale Garnett, 1964)

It was the black kitten's fault entirely...

2009-04-26T09:40:00.003-04:00

On April 25, 1856, Lewis Carroll first encountered the three year-old named Alice Liddell who would serve as his inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and, later, Through the Looking Glass.

Alice Liddell, photographed in 1859 by Charles Dodgson (a.k.a Lewis Carroll)

From Through the Looking Glass:

"One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it--it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering): so you see that it couldn't have had any hand in the mischief.

"The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr--no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.

"But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great armchair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.

"'Oh, you wicked, wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You ought, Dinah, you know you ought!'" ...

Read more of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass now (free etext)

Alice Pleasance Liddell (1852-1934)

A Good Night's Sleep

2009-04-25T12:09:00.003-04:00

I've gone through most of most of my life with a broken on/off switch. Even as a child I could lie awake at night for hours (I remember once counting backwards from one thousand to one); by the time morning would come, I never felt rested and getting out of bed was sheer torture.

In the worst of my depressions, I could literally sleep for 24 to 30 hours. But even when I wasn't depressed, I could easily sleep for 12 to 15 hours and was generally terrified of sleeping through the alarm clock.

In recent months, I've made a new discovery: waking up like a "normal" human being after a good night's sleep. Granted, I need about 10 hours of sleep, but after I've gotten my 10 hours, I can now willingly get out of bed and face the day.

For me, this is a revolutionary experience.

There seems to be a combination of factors at work: finally getting on a relatively regular sleep schedule; finding a combination of bipolar meds that work so that depression isn't wrecking havoc with my sleep; avoiding caffeine in the evenings; and, most interestingly, fish oil.

Um...what was that last one? Fish oil. I only mention it because it seems to be helping to balance my moods, improve my sleep, and eliminate PMS. I haven't had PMS symptoms for the past two months, and the extreme fatigue, irritability, pain and cramps I experienced bordered on PMDD because there were times it was severe enough to be debilitating.

Back in December my doctor suggested the fish oil to help boost my 'good' cholesterol. I've been taking 1000 mg/day since then and I'm convinced that it's helping in these other areas as well. That and the pomegranate juice... *grin*

I had a friend back in Michigan who swore eating fresh pineapple worked, too. I'm all in favor of whatever does the trick!

If You Can't Find Me...

2009-04-21T17:24:00.003-04:00

...I'm Probably Lost in the Borean Tundra

I resisted for quite awhile, but I finally gave in and began playing World of Warcraft. Partly because it gives me something fun to do with Mr. O'Kitten, and partly because I really did think I would like it.

I must have been pretty young the first time heard about Dungeons & Dragons, because I remember thinking it was awfully disappointing that you couldn't actually play it in a real dungeon, or at least in a cave or someplace someone had made to look like a dungeon.

The thought of sitting around in someone's basement rolling dice and looking lots of things up in a book sounded extremely tedious to me.

But now, of course, you can go into dungeons online. And believe me, they are spectacular, as are the forests, mountains, oceans, deserts, and plains, replete with varying flora and fauna. It is really something for someone like me who still remembers Pong.

Remember Pong? Home Pong was released in the mid-1970s and, if you're too young to remember this moment in history, it probably sounds like a non-event. What was truly revolutionary about Pong was that it marked the first time you could actually interact with your television set.

Before Pong, television programming was merely broadcast into your home--and if your home was like mine, you got maybe four of five different channels. This meant that your TV set was merely a receiver for broadcasts. For the first time ever, Pong made it your TV set an interactive device.

My family had Pong, but (revolutionary or not) it really was a snoozefest. Pac-Man, however, captured my imagination. "When Pac-Man was released [in 1980], most arcade video games in North America were primarily space shooters such as Space Invaders, Defender, or Asteroids. The most visible minority were sports games that were mostly derivative of Pong. Pac-Man succeeded by creating a new genre and appealing to both genders." I was 13, and appeal to me it did.

However, I am not of the joystick generation. Mr. O'Kitten, who is five years younger than me, is far more adept at all things arcade and videogame, from Space Invaders to Nintendo to mastering the finer points of the newer online games like World of Warcraft. By the time Pac-Man was installed in my local pizzeria, I just couldn't seem to develop the lightning-fast eye-hand coordination the game required. That didn't stop me from losing a few quarters, but I was never destined to become an arcade junkie.

So now I can be a big monster online. I really like being a monster--and even better, I'm a monster that can turn into a cat, which entertains me no end.

Gojira Returns...

2009-04-19T09:25:00.002-04:00

Buster Brown and Cheese World

2009-04-17T08:17:00.003-04:00

Mr. O'Kitten and I went on a little adventure to the nearby neighborhood of Forest Hills for a stroll. It's a really lovely area with a lot of posh homes, so one of these days we have to go back so I can take more photos. The buildings above are adjacent to the train station.

I was astonished by this little time capsule. I'm not sure I ever had Buster Brown shoes, but I definitely remember getting new school shoes at a place with a similar storefront when I was little.

I think it would be easier for me to give up chocolate than cheese. I love cheese. So we had to go in here just to inhale the aroma. Mmmmm...cheese...
Today I have plans to meet my knitting friend after work. It's supposed to be nice and warm so I think we'll be sitting outside (!) for some KIP (Knitting In Public). Woo-hoo!

I Heart NY Part 6: We Help Robots Cross the Street

2009-04-14T18:16:00.002-04:00

This is such a great story on so many levels. Don't miss the video at the end--it made us laugh and laugh--and Mr. O'Kitten doesn't even like Wall-E.

Monsters for Heads, and More

2009-04-14T17:25:00.002-04:00

Lew, Monster Hat No. 19

Lew must be from Canada because he loves ice hockey and curling. He says he has even been ice fishing. I think he rather looks a bit like a fish. His favorite band is They Might Be Giants and he would like nothing more than to build a birdhouse in your soul. Lew is made of Yarn Lust tencel sock in Tokyo Tea, Gluttony, and Genmaicha.

Martin, Monster Hat No. 20

I know he looks puzzled, but Martin is actually perpetually bemused by the world and everything in it. Cats provide him with hours of entertainment, as do crossword puzzles and late-night television. Because our hours coincide so conveniently, I have adopted Martin as my very own. Martin is made of Yarn Lust organic merino worsted in After Dark and Twilight.

This is the saddest bunny in the world. So sad, in fact, that I'm not sure what to do with him. Mr. O'Kitten thinks that no one in their right mind will adopt him with his saggy chenille carcass, lopsided ears and mis-matched button eyes. Anyone have any suggestions?

I am also stockpiling a heap of dishcloths for the holidays. Shhh...don't tell.

I like this snowflake pattern.
By knitting it, I am ensuring that no more snowflakes will fall this season.

Here is evidence that things are blooming.
This must mean that spring is very nearly here to stay.

Cats on Tuesday: Cat Livin--Ur Doin it Rite

2009-04-13T22:29:00.002-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: Cat Livin--Ur Doin it Rite

We won a rat on Moderncat recently during a Toy Week giveaway. It's a big wool Cat Livin' toy with a long leather tail and was a big hit here upon its arrival today Chez O'Kitten.

The rat underwent thorough scrutiny.
You can see that it's all fresh and catnippy.

Isis demonstrates the secure attachment of the long leather tail.

The organic catnip was pronounced "extremely tasty."

The rat passed all quality assurance testing.

Isis: Move along, Morgan. Nothing to see here.

Easter Peeps

2009-04-10T17:19:00.004-04:00

Now that we're not on the farm anymore, one thing I will miss is having my own spring peeps. The first two years, they came in a box in the mail.

The odd-looking chick grew up into a rooster we named Odo.

By the second spring, the hens started having chicks of their own.
This is Heather, who had two mommies. (After several weeks, Timmy--the smaller of the two hens vying for custody of the rapidly-growing chick--won out.)

These are a few of Rebel Goldilocks' offspring.
Goldilocks was a great mama.

I even hatched some chicks in my incubator.

I guess I'll have to go back to making my own peeps again.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Gojira vs. Insectosaurus vs. Isisosaurus

2009-04-08T13:52:00.005-04:00

We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens this week. Every time Insectosaurus graced the screen, Mr. O'Kitten got excited. First of all, he is a big fan of old Japanese monster movies like Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Destroy All Monsters, and Godzilla vs. King Kong. (Personally, I like Mothra, but we'll leave that debate for another day.) Secondly, Insectosaurus is a giant, not-very-bright, rather portly, furry, google-eyed monster. When Insectosaurus first appeared on the screen, Mr. O'Kitten leaned over the popcorn tub and whispered to me, "Hey--it's Isis."

Insectosaurus

Isisosaurus. You can even see her little antennae.

Oooh...shiny...

Beware of the friends of Isisosaurus.

They will smash you and your wimpy little planet into smithereens. Or at least they will demolish your vehicular devices.

cats on tuesday a note from archy

2009-04-06T13:31:00.004-04:00

cats on tuesday a note from archy

this is the song of mehitabel
of mehitabel the alley cat
as i wrote you before boss
mehitabel is a believer
in the pythagorean
theory of the transmigration
of the soul and she claims
that formerly her spirit
was incarnated in the body
of cleopatra
that was a long time ago
and one must not be surprised
if mehitabel
has forgotten some of her
more regal manners

~ from Don Marquis' Archy and Mehitabel (first published in 1916)

I Heart NY Part 5: How I Met Demetri Martin

2009-04-05T22:08:00.004-04:00

How I Met Demetri Martin

Over the past year I've been highly entertained by three comic talents: Ricky Gervais (particularly the Podcasts with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington), singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton (whom we saw in concert last weekend), and Demetri Martin, who has a new weekly show on Comedy Central.

So today was the first decent day of the year: sunny and about 60 degrees. Mr. O'Kitten and I were sharing a coffee on some steps at the north end of Union Square Park when a slim guy in a big sweatshirt, headphones, and a hat walked past, scribbling in a small notebook. I said to Mr. O'Kitten, "Hey--he looks like Demetri Martin..." and then, "That's definitely Demetri Martin." After a very brief pause, I whispered, "Should I go talk to him?"

Mr. O'Kitten knows that I've had a bit of a crush on Demetri Martin for quite awhile, that I watch Important Things with Demetri Martin every week and occasionally look him up on the YouTubes, which sets me to giggling in a most annoying way while Mr. O'Kitten is trying to slay monsters in World-of-Warcraft or somesuch on the next computer over. So when asked if I should go talk to Mr. Martin, Mr. O'Kitten helpfully offered me this advice: "I don't know."

Meanwhile Martin was moving at a brisk NY pace and I sensed my opportunity was about to go to waste. I hopped up and ran after him.

When I caught up with him he was still working on his sketch and I hesitated for a moment. Then, I gently patted him on the arm.

He looked up. "Yeah?"

"Demetri?" I asked, just in case he was a celebrity impersonator and not the real thing.

"Yeah," he answered, resigning himself to the interruption.

I reached my hand out and said, "Hi, I'm Shannah." He politely shook my hand.

Then I paused awkwardly, realizing I had not prepared anything else to say. Should I tell him I had also gone to Yale, thereby impressing him with our shared alma mater? Instead I almost said, "I really like your work," but stopped myself when I realized that seemed like an unbelieveably moronic thing to tell a comedian. Could I say, "You've made me laugh so hard I cried," which is true, but even more moronic than my previous thought.

So I simply said, "I'm...I'm a...big fan." I really did stutter, and I felt like just as big of an idiot as it made me sound. As usual, I felt the need to elaborate, so I prattled on: "I really like the show, which I watch, and I was watching you before that, it's really good..." Yeah, I was about that inarticulate.

"Thanks. That's good to hear. I'm glad you like it," he said. He really was nice, considering I could easily be a mental patient out on a day pass (which, incidentally, I had been in this very spot just a few years ago).

"Uh, nice to meet you. And...thanks," I managed.

He was very polite. "Nice meeting you, Shannah." And then he scurried off into the park, surely thinking, "God, please let her not be a creepy stalker. Or a mental patient out on a day pass."

Let's all hope it's true that Important Things with Demetri Martin is going to be picked up for a second season.

Free Hugs (NYC Quote of the Day)

A group of people in Union Square were distributing free hugs today. My mother-in-law, a true New Yorker, found this virtually incomprehensible, but we explained to her that there really were people holding up placards that said "Free Hugs" on them, and then hugging anyone who wanted an embrace.

One man who heard them saying "Free Hugs" came running up and asked excitedly, "Free hugs? What are hugs?"

Celeb Sightings

When you've been in NYC for awhile, you inevitiably see a few famous folks. I've never been very good at the celebrity sighting game, primarily because I'm terrible at recognizing people out of context. But I still have a list of people that I've met in various contexts (those are marked with an asterisk) or merely spotted in one place or another over the years.

So here for your bemusement is my own personal list of "NY Celeb Sightings":

Edward Albee
Woody Allen & Soon Yi
Matthew Barney*
Peter Buck*
Nick Cave
Connie Chung
Willem Dafoe*
Matt Dillon*
Jeffrey Eugenides*
Jeff Goldblum
Kim Gordon*
Lance Henriksen*
Cherry Jones*
Nathan Lane
Norman Mailer
Steve Malkmus*
Demetri Martin (see above)
Andrew McCarthy
John McEnroe
Mary Tyler Moore
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Norton*
Yoko Ono
Jerry Orbach
Nam June Paik*
Joe Pantaliano*
George Plimpton*
Tim Robbins
Susan Sarandon
John Sayles
Fred Schneider*
Christian Slater
Nancy Spero*
Darryl Strawberry
Joe Torre

I Heart NY Part 4: My Neighborhood

2009-04-03T13:19:00.008-04:00

1873 map of Glendale, from the gaelic gleann dail, meaning 'valley of fertile, low-lying arable land.' In the 1860s, Glendale, NY, Developer George Schott named this part of Queens, New York City, after his hometown of Glendale, Ohio.
This is my corner of Glendale, Queens, back in 1921.

This is my corner today. As you can see, Hermann's is still here.

There's a really cool street lamp on our corner...

...and more of them all along Myrtle Avenue.

The originals would have been installed in the 1910s.

There are a few of the real ones left in Manhattan, but I love seeing them in my own neighborhood. These are replicas of this type; 'modern' steel ones were installed in the interim. I'd much rather have these.

Glendale is like a small town in the middle of the big city. Because it is surrounded by cemeteries, they say there are more dead people than living residents here. See the green band on the map? It's all cemeteries and parkland. Cypress Hills opened in 1848 and All Saints Lutheran in 1852, and they were just the beginning. Harry Houdini is buried here; so is Mae West.

Houdini causes quite a commotion every Halloween, although he has yet to make an appearance.

Yesterday my pharmacy was getting a new window design for spring.

Around the corner I get pizza from Maurice.

Queens "claims more languages spoken and more passports possessed than any county in the world," according to a recent NY Times article.

Glendale was once largely German with some Italian and Irish; more recently, our neighborhood has also welcomed a number of Polish immigrants. According to Forgotten NY, Glendale is still "home to the largest German-American population in not only Queens, but also in all of the City of New York."
That might explain why we have one of the best German restaurants I've ever been to, Zum Stammtisch. Mr. O'Kitten worked here back when he was in high school. Check out the moose.

Mr. O'Kitten and several generations of his family went to this school two blocks away.

Finally, the most famous address in Glendale is a fictional one: 704 Hauser Street. Do you recognize it?

It's the Bunker residence from the long-running TV sit-com All in the Family (1971-79). Here's the real house at 89-70 Cooper Avenue in Glendale.

The Trees Lounge bar is also in Glendale. You probably only care about this if, like me, you're a huge Steve Buscemi fan, or if, like Mr. O'Kitten, you spent time drinking at The Assembly, the real bar that they used as Trees Lounge for the film.

Finally, Glendale is home to Cooper's Ale House from the TV show The King of Queens. Cooper's, located at 88th Street and Cooper Avenue, is now called 'Yer Man's Irish Pub.'

Good night from Glendale!

I Heart NY Part 3: Apartment Living

2009-03-31T15:13:00.003-04:00

Home Sweet Home.
I lived in a four-room apartment in Hoboken for 14 years, then we tried house-living in Michigan, and now we're back in an apartment. I just seem to be one of those people who is an apartment-dweller at heart. When they start talking about the American dream of 'owning your own home' I cringe and think "O-ho, but no...not me!" -- and perhaps you wonder why.

See, a house has both an inside and an outside. An apartment like ours, on the other hand, has no sidewalks to shovel, no driveway to dig your car out of, no grass to mow or leaves to rake. There's no roof to fix, siding to repair, or outdoors-y stuff to patch or paint or nail up, nothing to sweep or de-ice or plow. You don't even have to go outside the building to check the mail, and if anything breaks or leaks or cracks or seeps, you can call the landlord, who also takes out the trash and cleans the hallways and the stoop and the sidewalk.

Yeah, go ahead and call me lazy. I just know my limitations.

But apartments can have other advantages, Sometimes, they're just cool. Our building dates from 1916, and it has high ceilings and enormous (1 x 2 meter) windows. Not to mention that its five rooms are just the right amount of space for us. I'll give you a little tour.

This is the view from the kitchen, which we painted a retro minty-green color.
The funny-shaped archway leads into the living room.

I love the ceramic tile in the kitchen.

The previous tenant, who had lived here for over forty years, left behind some furniture (like this kitchen table) that the landlord allowed us to keep.

The kitchen has roomy old metal cabinets.
Two big windows look out into the back yard.

I do most of my knitting here in front of the TV. Embiggen to see some of Mr. O'Kitten's black-and-white photography on the wall.

This started out as the "craft room," but I want to put comfy chairs in it and make it more of a reading room since I never really use the table in there anyway. And look--there's finally a place for the OED.

The table really just collects junk.

I sit here. A lot.
We've carpeted the study and the bedroom since these pics were taken.

Le boudoir avec les chats.

Morgan's favorite room.

We have a big ol' tub. With actual claw feet.
Yes, that's the subway on the shower curtain.

Home Sweet Home.

Our Uncle Pindy, who is 87 and has lived in this area his entire life, refers to our building as Mathews Flats. (Most people around here call them 'Six-Families,' since they're three-story buildings with six apartments.)

Research revealed that our building was indeed constructed by G.X. Mathews, who built over 800 apartments in Brooklyn and Queens, according to a June 1, 1919, New York Times article. The Mathews Flats followed the principles of the 1901 Tenement House Act, which insisted that "every room must be light, airy, and sanitary." And our rooms still are--93 years later.

Morgan: I don't care what you call it, Emma --
it feels like home to me.

Cats on Tuesday: For I Will Consider My Cat

2009-03-30T14:35:00.006-04:00

Cats on Tuesday: For I Will Consider My Cat

I happen to love this jubilant poem by Christopher Smart (1722-71), so I am once again going to inflict poetry upon you. This week, For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry (excerpt, Jubilate Agno).

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer.
For he rolls upon prank to work it in.
For having done duty and received blessing he begins to consider himself.
For this he performs in ten degrees.

For first he looks upon his forepaws to see if they are clean.
For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there.
For thirdly he works it upon stretch with the forepaws extended.
For fourthly he sharpens his paws by wood.
For fifthly he washes himself.
For sixthly he rolls upon wash.
For seventhly he fleas himself, that he may not be interrupted upon the beat.
For eighthly he rubs himself against a post.
For ninthly he looks up for his instructions.
For tenthly he goes in quest of food.

For having considered God and himself he will consider his neighbor.
For if he meets another cat he will kiss her in kindness.
For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it a chance.
For one mouse in seven escapes by his dallying.
For when his day's work is done his business more properly begins.
For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary.
For he counteracts the powers of darkness by his electrical skin and glaring eyes.
For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life.
For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him.
For he is of the tribe of Tiger.
For the Cherub Cat is a term of the Angel Tiger.
For he has the subtlety and hissing of a serpent, which in goodness he suppresses.
For he will not do destruction if he is well-fed, neither will he spit without provocation.

For he purrs in thankfulness when God tells him he's a good Cat.
For he is an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon.
For every house is incomplete without him, and a blessing is lacking in the spirit.
For the Lord commanded Moses concerning the cats at the departure of the Children of Israel from Egypt.
For every family had one cat at least in the bag.
For the English Cats are the best in Europe.
For he is the cleanest in the use of his forepaws of any quadruped.
For the dexterity of his defense is an instance of the love of God to him exceedingly.
For he is the quickest to his mark of any creature.
For he is tenacious of his point.
For he is a mixture of gravity and waggery.
For he knows that God is his Saviour.

For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.
For there is nothing brisker than his life when in motion.
For he is of the Lord's poor, and so indeed is he called by benevolence perpetually—Poor Jeoffry! poor Jeoffry! the rat has bit thy throat.
For I bless the name of the Lord Jesus that Jeoffry is better.
For the divine spirit comes about his body to sustain it in complete cat.
For his tongue is exceeding pure so that it has in purity what it wants in music.
For he is docile and can learn certain things.
For he can sit up with gravity, which is patience upon approbation.
For he can fetch and carry, which is patience in employment.
For he can jump over a stick, which is patience upon proof positive.
For he can spraggle upon waggle at the word of command.
For he can jump from an eminence into his master's bosom.
For he can catch the cork and toss it again.
For he is hated by the hypocrite and miser.
For the former is afraid of detection.
For the latter refuses the charge.
For he camels his back to bear the first notion of business.
For he is good to think on, if a man would express himself neatly.
For he made a great figure in Egypt for his signal services.
For he killed the Icneumon rat, very pernicious by land.
For his ears are so acute that they sting again.
For from this proceeds the passing quickness of his attention.
For by stroking of him I have found out electricity.
For I perceived God's light about him both wax and fire.
For the electrical fire is the spiritual substance which God sends from heaven to sustain the bodies both of man and beast.
For God has blessed him in the variety of his movements.
For, though he cannot fly, he is an excellent clamberer.
For his motions upon the face of the earth are more than any other quadruped.
For he can tread to all the measures upon the music.
For he can swim for life.
For he can creep.

-- Christopher Smart (1722-71)

"With the exception of one brief intermission, Christopher Smart remained hospitalized for mental insanity from 1756 through 1763, during which he wrote the poems considered his best work: A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno, first published in 1939 by W. F. Stead. Though critics of his own time accused A Song to David of incoherence, it experienced a surge of praise and interest in the nineteenth century by such poets as Browning and Yeats. Only fragments of Jubilate Agno remain today; best known of these fragments is the cataloging homage to his cat Jeoffry, companion during Smart's incarceration."

Like Libraries?

2009-03-29T16:28:00.002-04:00

"...Above all things Truth beareth away the victory."
(The Apocrypha, 1 Esdras, chapter 3, line 12; inscribed at the entrance
of the main branch of the New York Public Library.)

I really like libraries. If you like libraries as well, then, like me, you could spend an inordinate amount of time perusing the Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries over at Curious Expeditions. This is a website I could get lost in for days.

This is the Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag in the Netherlands and this photograph made me gasp out loud at its winding spiral staircases and elegant railings. Apparently, Handelingen means "reports," although for us English-speakers they've translated Handelingenkamer as Old Library. [Perhaps Anya or some other Dutch reader can fill us in if I've completely misinterpreted.]

Whatever it means, it is extraordinarily beautiful and, in typical Dutch fashion, useful: the library is topped with a leaded-glass dome to allow daylight to flood all four levels, so that (back in the day) they could keep combustible candles and gas lamps out of the library.
The New York Public Library (NYPL) lions have become symbols for New York City. I've used this library on occasion and it is big, beautiful, overwhelming, and simply amazing. I just found out today that the two lions are named Patience and Fortitude. (Great NYPL trivia--about the sculptures and inscriptions behind the lions--here.)

This is the public research room at the main branch of the NYPL
(yes, the branch with the lions).

Another discovery I made today is the NYPL Digital Gallery, which "provides free and open access to over 685,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs and more." (You know how much I like maps.)

This is the Old Reading Room at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. I had to include it not only because it is lovely, but because Mr. O'Kitten's cousin works here, and we like her a whole bunch.

This is the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale. The walls have translucent marble panels. See how they're almost tiger-stripy in a weirdly futuristic way? The climate-controlled glass-enclosed part in the middle contains the rare books and manuscripts. This library has one of the remaining Gutenberg Bibles. The fact that I have actually seen this extraordinary part of human history with my own two eyes still strikes me as both odd and exceedingly wonderful.

This is my college library, the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale. It looks far more like a cathedral than a library.

It now houses about 4 million volumes. The stacks would give you vertigo. When I was there in the late 1980s the system wasn't computerized, so I spent a lot of time using this:

...the Sterling Memorial Library card catalogue. It too could give you vertigo.

These are the Sterling Library stacks. Yes, they are as old as they look -- the Library and its sixteen-level "book tower" opened in 1931. I'm sure they are quite haunted.

Good night, Sterling Library.

Easter Egg Washcloth Pattern

2009-03-28T13:38:00.002-04:00

Hippity Hoppity, Easter's on its way, peeps! Here's a pattern fer ye. Enjoy.

Bunnies by LoveLeeSoaps
O'Kitten's Easter Egg Washcloth Pattern

SIZE: 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches (19.5 x 19.5 cm)

MATERIALS: Less than 1 (one) 2.5 oz (70.9 g) ball Lily Sugar’n Cream 100% cotton yarn (colors shown are Robins Egg Blue #01215 and Pretty Pastels #00199), US size 6 needles, tapestry needle, crochet hook (optional)

GAUGE: 18 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch

NOTE: See abbreviations and stitch explanations at bottom.

DIRECTIONS: CO 37 sts

Rows 1–4: Knit
Row 5: k3, purl across, k3
Row 6: Knit
Row 7 (and all odd rows unless otherwise specified): k3, purl across, k3
Row 8: k15, k2tog, yo, kb, (yo, ssk)x2, k15
Row 10: k14, (k2tog, yo)x2, kb, (yo, ssk)x2, k14
Row 12: k11, (k2tog, yo)x3, kb, (yo, ssk)x4, k11
Row 14: k10, (k2tog, yo)x4, kb, (yo, ssk)x4, k10
Row 16: k9, (k2tog, yo)x4, kb, (yo, ssk)x5, k9
Row 18: k8, (k2tog, yo)x5, kb, (yo, ssk)x5, k8
Row 20: Repeat row 16
Row 22: k8, (k2tog, yo)x3, kb, yo, ssk, yo, sk2p, yo, k2tog, yo, kb, (yo, ssk)x3, k8
Row 24: k9, (k2tog, yo)x2, kb, yo, ssk, yo, sk2p, yo, k2tog, yo, kb, (yo, ssk)x3, k9
Row 26–28: Repeat row 22–24
Row 30: Repeat row 14
Row 32: Repeat row 12
Row 34: k11, m1, (k2tog, yo)x3, sk2p, (yo, ssk)x3, m1, k9
Row 36: k12, (ssk, yo)x3, kb, (yo, k2tog)x3, k12
Row 38: k13, m1, yo, ssk, yo, d4, yo, k2tog, yo, m1, k13
Row 40: k15, m1, yo, d4, yo, m1, k15
Row 42: k17, c3, k17
Row 43: k3, purl across, k3
Row 44: Knit
Row 45: k3, purl across, k3
Row 46–49: Knit
Row 50: Bind off …

…and weave in ends. Or…

…Bind off to last knit stitch. Transfer the last knit stitch to a crochet needle and single crochet 12 stitches. Loop the crochet chain back to the washcloth and secure it using the tapestry needle and loose yarn end. Weave in ends.

Abbreviations:

CO: cast on

st: stitch

k: knit

k2tog: knit 2 together

yo: yarn over

kb: insert right needle into back of stitch on left needle and then knit it

ssk: slip two stitches (one at a time) knitwise from left needle onto right needle and then knit them together

sk2p: slip one stitch knitwise onto the right needle, knit the next two sts on the left needle together, then pass the slipped stitch over the k2tog sts and off the needle

m1: create a new stitch by knitting into the back of the stitch in the row below the next stitch on the left needle, then knit into the front of the next stitch on the left needle

d4: Quadruple decrease (reduces 5 sts to 1):
1. Slip 3 stitches to the right needle.
2. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
3. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
4. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
5. Slip the center stitch back to the right needle.
6. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
7. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
8. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
9. Knit the center stitch.
Or: You can ssk, then k3tog, then pass the ssk stitch over the k3tog stitch, but the result isn’t as nice as using the longer version of this decrease as described above.

c3: Cluster 3. Slip 3 sts to right needle. Pass yarn to front. Slip same 3 sts from right needle back to left needle. Pass yarn to the back. Give the yarn a good tug, then k3.

Pattern and photos ©S. Clarke 2009 http://obsidiankitten.blogspot.com/

April Fools Day: Ha-Cha-Cha!

2009-03-25T12:51:00.003-04:00

Lavender Lemon Citrus Soap

One of my favorite recent discoveries on Etsy is LoveLeeSoaps. She makes fancy bath stuff like body butters (this one is packaged like carrrots), bath salts, and luxurious bath bars (I got the lovely lavender-lemon one shown above). Her prices are great and she is super-nice, even doing custom fragrance-free soaps for me. She uses high-quality soap bases and fragrance oils; be sure to check the descriptions because many of the soaps have shea butter in them to make them super-rich and creamy.

Milk and Honey Gnome Soap
The real treat for me, though, is the variety of novelty soaps she comes up with. For example, right now Leeana has marshmallow peanuts, pickles, popcorn, a chocolate soap birdnest with three eggs and a little bluebird, cottontail bunnies, and even an easter bunny egg set.

When I first saw the peppermint denture soap, I couldn't stop laughing, picturing it on our sink next to a glass of water. Now it's been nominated for Etsy's April Fools Pranks and Gags, so if you have a minute check out the poll and vote. Voting ends 10 am March 30.

Easter Bunny Egg Set

Hazelnut Cappuccino Kitty Soap

Name the Thing, Knit the Thing

2009-03-24T18:12:00.001-04:00

I made a couple of these Heart Lace Cloths and liked the Heart Motif, but I couldn't find anything similar for Easter. So I came up with this:

I think it looks like what it's supposed to be, right? I rearranged the stitches from the lace heart pattern on a new chart. It's not easy to make something ovoid out of rectangles, but there you are.

I would love it if one or two of you intrepid knitters would test out the pattern for me. It's super-quick and takes less than half a ball of Sugar'n Cream. Just post a comment here or email me at sohopixieATyahooDOTcom and I'll email you the pattern. Once I know it works for someone other than me I'll post it here on the blog.

Any takers?

Easter is April 12. The bunnies are coming!

Cats on Tuesday: The Cat, Bewitching and Seraphic

2009-03-23T16:12:00.005-04:00

Cats on Tuesday, with Poems from Charles Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal (1857-1868)

Cats

Both ardent lovers and austere scholars
Love in their mature years
The strong and gentle cats, pride of the house,
Who like them are sedentary and sensitive to cold.

Friends of learning and sensual pleasure,
They seek the silence and the horror of darkness;
Erebus would have used them as his gloomy steeds:
If their pride could let them stoop to bondage.

When they dream, they assume the noble attitudes
Of the mighty sphinxes stretched out in solitude,
Who seem to fall into a sleep of endless dreams;

Their fertile loins are full of magic sparks,
And particles of gold, like fine grains of sand,
Spangle dimly their mystic eyes.

-- Translated from the French by William Aggeler, 1954

The Cat

I

A fine strong gentle cat is prowling
As in his bedroom, in my brain;
So soft his voice, so smooth its strain,
That you can scarcely hear him miowling.

But should he venture to complain
Or scold, the voice is rich and deep:
And thus he manages to keep
The charm of his untroubled reign.

His voice can cure the direst pain
And it contains the rarest raptures.
The deepest meanings, which it captures,
It needs no language to explain.

There is no bow that can so sweep
That perfect instrument, my heart:
Or make more sumptuous music start
From its most vibrant cord and deep,

Than can the voice of this strange elf,
This cat, bewitching and seraphic,
Subtly harmonious in his traffic
With all things else, and with himself.

-- Translated by Roy Campbell, 1952

The Cat

Come, my fine cat, against my loving heart;
Sheathe your sharp claws, and settle.
And let my eyes into your pupils dart
Where agate sparks with metal.

Now while my fingertips caress at leisure
Your head and wiry curves,
And that my hand's elated with the pleasure
Of your electric nerves,

I think about my woman — how her glances
Like yours, dear beast, deep-down
And cold, can cut and wound one as with lances;

Then, too, she has that vagrant
And subtle air of danger that makes fragrant
Her body, lithe and brown.

-- Translated by Roy Campbell, 1952

I Heart NY Part 2: Public Transportation

2009-03-23T13:21:00.003-04:00

I love not having--and not needing--a car. Because I grew up in the suburbs, where getting a carton of milk requires hopping in the car, this seems like a luxury to me. For most of the world, living where you can walk to everything seems to be pretty standard. But here in the U.S., a country largely built to the grand scale of the automobile, it's definitely not the norm and good public transportation is unfortunately rare.

To begin with, living car-free saves us about $400/month. Second, there are no car repairs, no maintenence, and nothing to break down or shovel out of the snow. Third, Mr. O'Kitten hates to drive and doesn't even like riding in the car--he really is a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker in this regard. I myself prefer not to drive, given the choice, and am delighted to take bus or subway or walk instead.

The bus.
And think about this: "The MTA is one of the nation's most effective sustainability programs, transporting [our] riders on more than 8.5 million trips daily with twice the energy efficiency of the most advanced hybrid cars.

"Thanks in large part to the MTA, the energy consumption and CO2 output of New Yorkers is approximately a quarter of the national average. If the rest of the country matched New York City's carbon footprint, the nation could achieve the goal of cutting carbon 80 percent by 2050, more than 40 years ahead of schedule."

This is where we get the subway: the Myrtle-Wycoff Station. It's about a 15-minute bus ride or a half-hour walk from our apartment. The bus stops right on our block, so it's really convenient. We get on the subway, and twenty minutes later we're in Manhattan.

When I first moved to New York in 1990, the L train was one of the least trustworthy trains--but also the closest to my apartment. It was so unreliable that I almost never rode it. Now it's the closest line to us and was ranked the best according to the Straphangers 2008 report card.

It has the newest cars in the fleet and they are pretty spiffy.

The L stations also have train arrival times posted on LED displays. I haven't seen these on any other lines yet.

Fourteenth Street/Union Square is our regular stop in Manhattan. It still looks pretty much like this.

This historic postcard of the 28th Street and 4th Avenue Station shows a kiosk almost identical to the one at the Astor Place Station (below).

Astor Place. We often pass here since it's just a few blocks south of Fourteenth Street. The building behind the kiosk at the left is part of Cooper Union.

Even better is not needing any public transportation at all. I walk to work about 90% of the time, unless it's really pouring or I'm coming home late in the evening, in which case I take the bus. Rain or shine, even if it's cold or snowing, I love to walk. Within a block of our apartment there's a grocery, barbershop, butchershop, laundrymat, bank, discount store, nail salon, pizzeria, hardware store, and pharmacy, and most any place (including the grocery and pharmacy) will deliver. Perhaps that explains why so many elderly people still live in our neighborhood: everything is within reach and if you can't get to it, they'll bring it to you.

Gotta love New York.

I Heart NY Part 1: Diners

2009-03-21T13:43:00.003-04:00

I absolutely love a good diner. One with a lot of chrome on the outside, big booths on the inside, a big fat menu and enormous plates piled high with food. So diners were one of the things I missed most about New York while we were away. (No, there weren't any in Michigan.)

Last night we had a wonderful diner experience at the Triple Crown Diner in Bellerose, named for its proximity to the Belmont racetrack. My sister-in-law says that sometimes she and Mackenzie see them washing down the horses when they drive by Belmont Park in the morning. How exciting to see the horses get their baths! (Perhaps this is part of the reason Mac was so excited about the horses in the St. Pat's parade?)

The Triple Crown Diner is adorned with beautiful chrome fans and turquoise panels along its flanks. This is definitely what a diner should look like.

If you look above Mr. O'Kitten's head, you can see that the chrome fan motif continues inside the diner. Recessed ceiling lighting and extensive wall mirrors all promise that this will provide us with a quintessential diner experience.

A real diner should have a menu that weighs at least a pound, is half a meter tall, and boasts no fewer than twelve laminated pages. There will be a page of daily specials inside the menu, and, ideally, an additional page of dinner specials will be handed to you at the table. This means that unless you have some idea of what you would like to eat in advance, it will take you at least twenty minutes to peruse the menu and another twenty minutes to make a decision.

Fortunately, you get a basket of bread to eat while you decide what to order.

I had onion soup and Greek salad...

...followed by an amazing boneless baby salmon stuffed with about a pound of crabmeat. A good diner should bring you enough food that you have enough left over for another one (or possibly two) more meals. I will be eating crabmeat-stuffed salmon all weekend. Hooray! The spinach with rice side dish tasted a lot like the filling for a good spanakopita. Delicious.

Mr. O'Kitten had a reuben (rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese), which is pretty much his favorite sandwich of all time. Look at the size of it!

My dinner came with dessert, but I took it home because we were celebrating Claudine's birthday. Just look at this incredible mango cake!

Isis: Hey! Did I hear someone say "crabmeat-stuffed salmon"?
I'd be very happy to help you with that...

Nothing Good Can Come of This

2009-03-20T13:32:00.004-04:00

Emma has the high ground, Isis. I'd get up and move if I were you...

Meanwhile, back at The Hall of Doom...

Morgan is very fond of the bathtub. She likes to play in it, or she lies in wait and ambushes you through the shower curtains while you brush your teeth or do your other bathroomly things. It can be very startling to the unsupecting victim.

Morgan: Can't a girl in the tub get some privacy?

M: Just you wait until you turn your back on me, muahahahaha...

Godspeed, Brave Spacebat

2009-03-18T15:19:00.002-04:00

A Free-Tailed Chiroptera
As you know, I really like bats. Earlier this week, one brave Free-Tailed Chiroptera tried to hitch a ride on the Space Shuttle.

Here's our valiant Spacebat clinging to the the foam of the external fuel tank of Shuttle Discovery.
Gizmodo eulogizes him (or her, perhaps) thusly:

"Bereft of his ability to fly and with nowhere to go, a courageous bat climbed aboard our Discovery with stars in his weak little eyes. The launch commenced, and Spacebat trembled as his frail mammalian body was gently pushed skyward. For the last time, he felt the primal joy of flight; for the first, the indescribable feeling of ascending toward his dream—a place far away from piercing screeches and crowded caves, stretching forever into fathomless blackness.

"Whether he was consumed in the exhaust flames or frozen solid in the stratosphere is of no concern to us. We know that Spacebat died, but his dream will live on in all of us."

Be free, Spacebat, fly and be free!

Day of St. Patrick, Pt. 2

2009-03-17T21:11:00.003-04:00

There are few things we Americans love more than a parade, except perhaps an excuse to dress up in a crazy costume. (Think Halloween or Mardi Gras.) If you combine a parade, a reason to dress up in a silly costume, and the opportunity to drink alcohol to excess, many of us will believe we have died and gone to some crazy American version of heaven.

That, my friends, is the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade. This parade began in 1762 and, in keeping with its 247-year tradition, doesn't allow "floats, automobiles and other commercial aspects" -- meaning there are 150,000 - 250,000 marchers on foot, on horseback, in bands (with an emphasis on bagpipes and other traditional instruments), as well as large contingents of firemen, policemen, military, county associations, emigrant societies, social and cultural clubs, civil war reenactment groups, and much more.

We neither wore extravagant costumes nor imbibed tremendous amounts of alcohol, but we did have fun. Here's Mr. O'Kitten with our niece, Mackenzie. (Yes, her shirt is in keeping with the spirit of the day.)

Now on to the parade.

There were many, many bagpipes...
...drums...

...colorful flags...

...very well-dressed horses (of which Mackenzie was quite fond)...

...and more kilts than I've seen (or dared to imagine) in one place, ever.

Here's the NYFD (New York City Fire Deparment) -- lots and lots of firemen, getting lots and lots of well-deserved applause. (Like Firefighters? Maybe you need one of these.)
Now for some of the costumes we saw along Fifth Avenue. Remember, these people aren't in the parade. They're dressed up like this to watch it.

There were big, kooky costumes...

...as well as more understated outfits, like the aran sweater (at right) or green sweatshirt/tam combination. The baby's sweater is really nice.

This guy was very close to us in the crowd. I'm not sure ennui counts as a costume, but he definitely tried with the hat.

This fellow was in front of us for awhile. There's nothing like wearing one country on one cheek and one country on the other.

Pog mo thoin means "Kiss my ---." Alternately, pogue mahone, from which (I'm told by Mr. O'Kitten) the amazing band The Pogues got their name. It's good to learn something new every day, isn't it?

The end.

Uncle O'Kitten: What's the matter, Mackenzie?
Mackenzie: I'm lookin' for the horsies.

Day of St. Patrick

2009-03-17T09:54:00.002-04:00

We're off to see the St. Pat's Day parade with 2-year-old Mackenzie and her dad (Mr. O'Kitten's brother). It's a warmish sunny day and should be lots of fun. So happy day to all!

Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours.

Cats on Tuesday

2009-03-09T14:08:00.003-04:00

What are you looking at, Morgan? I don't see anything.

Nothing, Isis.

Oh. Me either.

Meet More Monsters

2009-03-08T18:00:00.003-04:00

Mertis, Monster Hat No. 17

Mertis’ favorite cartoon character is Snagglepuss. She is fascinated by marsupials and collects kaleidoscopes. Her secret disappointment is that she has never been able to solve the Rubik’s cube.

Yarn Lust BFL, KPPPM, and silk (which you can't see so well, but her nose is silky pink). I swear the magenta made it almost impossible for my camera to focus. Go figure.

Veatrice, Monster Hat No. 18

Veatrice is a real night owl, and will keep you up until all hours watching late night talk shows if you’re not careful. She likes astronomy and star-gazing. All-night diners are favorite haunts. It may be best to let her sleep in after a long night out.

Yarn Lust merino and tencel-merino and some of my own handspun merino-tencel.

Agamemnon, Monster Hat No. 19

Agamemnon enjoys board games, especially backgammon, pente, and go—largely because he likes the little stones with which you play. He’s generally the indoor type, but can be persuaded to go on long walks and is particularly fond of forest paths. Just don’t try to feed him mushrooms.

Yarn Lust BFL and tencel-merino and some KPPPM.

Get your own Monster here. (See what I did there? Smooth, right?)

And this interests me because--? Well?
Are there snacks in it? Nip? Anything?
Then just wake me when it's over.

The Bear and the Bird are in Stitches

2009-03-08T14:50:00.002-04:00

Holy stitches, Batman, it's an embroidered comic strip. And it's funny. And super-amazing. You really gotta see it for yourself. Go now.

Cats on Tuesday: The Cat Goes Meow, Purr, Hiss, Chirp, and Ermrrrp

2009-03-01T23:05:00.007-05:00

Cats on Tuesday: The Cat Goes Meow, Purr, Hiss, Chirp, Ermrrrp...

Our niece Mackenzie, who recently turned two, knows what several dozen animals say. The Cow says Moo, the Dog says Woof (she has a dog at home), the Duck goes Quack, etc. She can even pronounce Squirrel, Alligator, and Hippopotamus, so it’s no surprise that Mackenzie knows that the Cat Says Meow.

After visiting our house the other day, she had seen three cats, none of whom said Meow. Emma, who really likes Mackenzie, purred a lot. Isis, who does not like having a small visitor in her home (no matter how gently said visitor may pet you) hissed at Mackenzie once. Morgan hid, although remained curious and kept peeking in at us from the next room.

So now Mackenzie knows that Emma says Purr-Purr, Isis goes Hiss, and Morgan hides in the closet. This lesson provides us with today’s Cats on Tuesday.

Most Likely to Inform You That It Is Cat Breakfastime: Emma

Incidentally, Cat Breakfastime is 7:30 am.

Most Likely to Remind You That It Is Cat Dinnertime: Emma

Cat Dinnertime is 6 pm.

Most Likely to Insist a Closed Door Be Opened for Her: Emma

This was nearly a tie between Emma and Isis, but Emma gets the win for sheer persistence. Isis will eventually give up and go take a nap, whereas Emma could sit at the closed door making her argument into perpetuity. Or rather, until the door is opened for her.

Most Likely to Announce Her Entrance Into the Room: Morgan

This announcement is made in her native tongue of Morganese, and sounds rather like "Ermrrrp." No one has yet successfully translated this language, but we suspect "Ermrrrp" is the Morganese equivalent of: "I am, and I have now arrived successfully at my destination." This is only speculation, however, and should not be taken to be an authoritative translation.

Most Likely to Tell You That She is Bringing You a Mouse (or Other Toy): Isis

At least now that we've moved back to the city, it's only toy mice. Lately, she's been bringing Mr. O'Kitten her furry toy mouse every evening. She tells him a little story as she comes into the living room, and then sets it down at his feet. Isn't that sweet?

Most Likely to Scry Into the Waterbowl: Emma

At least we assume that Emma is somehow contacting the future when she yowls deeply into her waterbowl--generally after one has gone to bed and is half-asleep--guaranteeing maximum creepiness. At times she practically shakes the floorboards with the depths of her sighs. What she sees of past, present, or future, I can't tell you. I just hope the neighbors downstairs can't hear her portents.

Most Likely to Lament My Departure: Emma

Mr. O'Kitten claims that both Isis and Emma sit in the living room and discuss my departures (for the store, to work, to take out the trash) at some length. Again, Emma gets bonus points for sheer persistence; Isis just doesn't have the attention span that Emma does. Then again, Mr. O'Kitten might be making the whole thing up to make me feel important.

Most Likely to Tell You a Long and Incomprehensible Story: Morgan

These epic tales, like the arrival greetings described above, are likewise related to us entirely in Morganese. Although these lengthy monologues provide opportunites for more extensive examination of the Morganese dialect, translation remains an ongoing challenge.

Most Likely to Hiss at Her Sisters While They're Having a Spat, or Likewise Express Her Disapproval of Small Human Visitors: Isis

Most Likely to Chitter at Birds from the Windowsill: Isis

Isis used to do this a lot, but I just caught Morgan doing it the other morning when she spotted a bird outside the bedroom window. If you're not sure what I mean by chittering, the short video below captures it perfectly.

I've heard maybe a third of the cats with whom I've cohabited make this funny, eerie noise--usually when they've seen birds that they can't actually chase. I wonder how many cats do this? Have you ever heard your cat make this noise, and, if so, what were the circumstances?

Spread the Insanity, er, I Mean, Love

2009-02-22T23:32:00.005-05:00

So I see this tonight over at Domestic Piracy and think to myself, wow, what a brilliant idea. Brilliant in the sense of moderately insane but, you know, irresistable nonetheless.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done in the next 12 months.
- You have no clue what it's going to be.
- I reserve the right to do something unusual.

The catch? You have to put this in your blog as well. Pass on the love!

That's the text as it appears on Ragnar's blog. I'm now going to copy shamelessly from her, because she's a crafty ho.

She proceeds: "I'm clarifying a couple of points. Firstly the item will not necessarily be knit. I'm a crafty ho, you know, it could be...I don't know, made out of chewing gum and Popsicle sticks. I also want to point out the specification that you have to post this on your blog...that means only people who blog are eligible. I'm not running some hand-made gift charity thing here. You gots to reciprocate."

Ditto. So you want something special? Me make for you something special! Get on board now and spread the crazy-handmakey love!

23 Feb. -- Okay, okay, I promise it won't be made out of popsicle sticks. Frankly, there is a 98.3% chance it will be hand-knit, and a 97.8% chance that you will like it. Now are there any takers?

A Man Who Drew Cats

2009-02-20T15:49:00.004-05:00

Louis Wain, artist, in the 1890s
Louis Wain (1860-1939) was an artist most well-known for his drawings of cats. He was a regular contributor to the Illustrated London News, where his first cat drawings appeared in 1886, and illustrator of over 100 children's books. Anthropomorphized drawings of animals were so popular in Victorian England that his work appeared in papers, journals, and magazines, as well as on prints, greeting cards, and picture postcards.

Wain was socially awkward, lousy with money, and experienced major tragedy early his life. He had married at 23, but his wife died of cancer three years later. Their black and white cat Peter was a close companion during her illness and subsequent passing, and Wain credited Peter with the beginning of his career.

"The Cat in His Garden"

"Which Do I Love Best?"
Although it has been widely speculated that Wain's eventual stays in mental institutions were due to schizophrenia, recent theory poses that he more likely suffered from Asperger's Syndrome.

"Wallpaper Cat"

Untitled, 1933

KIP: Knitting in Public, and Gratuitous Cat Belly

2009-02-19T14:21:00.003-05:00

Knitting in Public

I mentioned that I met someone with whom to knit. We got together again this week, and she'd finished the project she started when last we met. It's a lace soap sack, done up in some lovely Caron's cotton. The color is a nearly edible orange sherbert shade.

Above, the yarn she's about to cast on for a facecloth to coordinate with the soap sack. I kept working on my monster hats. Nothing like going round and round in stockinette. This one uses more of my favorites from Yarn Lust: her BFL held together with her merino-tencel or with KPPPM. Mmm--yummy. Now I have three hats ready for monsterizing, meaning that they still need their ears, eyes, and mouths. I also have two bunny hats that just want some ears.

Now for Something Completely Different

Isis shows off her voluptuous belly, marked, as it is, with a white "V" for Voluptuous. Or for Vendetta. Or Victory. Or something.

A lot of cats don't like to have their bellies rubbed, but Isis and Emma both enjoy it, and Morgan will even roll on her back and let you sneak in a belly rub or two before jumping up and darting away. I always say the belly is my favorite part of the cat. Of course, I like the velvety paws a lot, too. And the nose. But the belly is a very good part of the cat.

Here Isis continues to mug for the camera; as you can see, she's quite the ham. Meanwhile, I can barely get Emma to look at the camera, and Morgan will scarcely stop moving long enough for me to get her picture.

Isis: Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.
Morgan: Actually, I was just thinking that you're a huge ham.
Emphasis on huge. So there, you big ham.

Cats on Tuesday: How to Rule the Interwebs

2009-02-16T17:10:00.008-05:00

"If you listen real close, you can hear the interwebs laughing at you"

Ever wonder why the interwebs are overpopulated with cats? Salon took a stab at explaining it with "The Internet is made of kittens." (Thanks to Chris for noticing this article in the first place.) My take-aways: (1) we find cats to be both funny and poignant; (2) we love to anthropomorphize our feline friends; and (3) videos of cats are cheaper to make than porn. Read it for yourself.

More thoughts on why we love lolcats. Hint: it has to do with pathos and the tragedy of the human condition. And number (2), above. [And likely numbers (1) and (3) as well.]

Control-a-Cat (not to be confused with Confuse-a-Cat)

I saw this first at moderncat; it's available from ThinkGeek and Perpetual Kid, where the Control-a-Cat Remote is described like this:

Operating Instructions:

* Point remote at subject
* Push any button on the remote
* Hope for the best

No batteries required... powered by positive thinking! 8 out of 10 owners said their cats ignored it.

Morgan is ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille.

'Tis the Day of Saint Valentine (or is it?)

2009-02-14T13:27:00.003-05:00

"Won't I be the lucky dog if I get the Valentine I want?"

Happy Valentine's Day! ...Or, is it Lupercalia, an ancient "Roman pastoral festival, observed on February 13 through February 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility"?

Canis lupus

It seems as these various holidays roll around I set about looking for an illustration or two to set the mood, and discover, in the process, a blog or a website that I am surprised I haven't previously come across. Coilhouse, a self-proclaimed "love letter to alternative culture, written in an era when alternative culture no longer exists," is one such example. This category gave me an intriguing sampling of material, from a post about an online historical anatomies exhibition at NIH...

...to an elegant spine-inspired type...

...to this:
And that doesn't even include the face corsets or the 1504 iron hand prosthesis with articulated fingers.

So have a Happy Saint Valentine's/Lupercalia/Face Corset/Foot Fetish Day!

Dear Valentine: "Betcha Boots" We'd Make a Dandy "Pair"

Gobble Gobble: Finders Not Keepers

2009-02-10T14:29:00.003-05:00

To Mr. O'Kitten's amusement, I joined the Turkey Fund last week (read on, and all will be explained) and found $1.11 in seven days. (With my mother-in-law as a founding member, how could I resist?) My walk to and from work turns out to be quite profitable, populated as it is with parking meters, bus stops, and pay phones.

And now from today's NY Daily News, it turns out that good deeds do not always go unpunished...I mean, unrecognized. I only wish my Grandma were around so I could send her the clipping--she would have appreciated the Turkey Fund on every level.

"Finders not keepers in Turkey Fund"

BY Leigh Remizowski, NY Daily News

Tuesday, February 10th 2009, 10:24 AM

WHEN CAROL Clarke started taking 2-mile walks for exercise near her Glendale home 10 years ago, she found there was an unexpected side benefit.

There was money to be made - if she kept her eyes peeled.

After years of casually picking up loose change, Clarke, 59, and her exercise partner, Magdalene Sweeney, 101, realized their found loot could be the seed for a lucrative charity.

With $40 in coins she had already picked up off the streets, Clarke started the Turkey Fund in 1999. The charity is supported by friends and family who donate money found in their day-to-day lives. Most members are parishioners of Saint Pancras Church in Glendale.

"The bigger picture is that we're helping people," said Clarke, the club's "Head Turkey."

The fund got its name because Clarke and Sweeney donated their initial spoils to a homeless shelter for a turkey dinner. Now, each October, members pool their findings and donate to various charities.

Most of the money nowadays goes to St. Margaret's parish in Flushing. They have also donated to Hurricane Katrina victims.

Members have collected $2,097 since 1999, averaging about $200 a year. The club has 28 members today. Each has a membership card and a film canister for storing coins.

Over the years, the fund has established rules that, if broken, can lead to probation or expulsion from the club.

"The rules evolved because of peoples' complaints," Clarke said.

The most controversy has been over which member receives credit for a find. The rules clearly state that kicking, punching, biting, shoving or cursing are allowed - only if the person being fought for the money is not a fellow member. One rule states that the person who bends over to pick up the money gets the credit, rather than the one who spots the dough.

And the rules aren't taken lightly. New member Pat Amato, 70, left Clarke a phone message asking whether she could accept three dimes that her husband found in the snow.

In the end, the money was deemed acceptable for donation.

Members don't get any credit for money found in a church and they must donate any money they find - coins or bills.

As long as members follow the rules, just about anything goes.

"One member stuck her hand in a public toilet bowl for three quarters," Clarke said. "That was above and beyond the call of duty."

Member Arthur Krumm, 60, said capitalizing on others' carelessness pays off. Once, he found $2.86 in a CoinStar machine at the grocery store.

He and other members have seen a decline in loose change since the advent of the MetroCard, especially at bus stops.

But members still have their methods. Sometimes Krumm deliberately parks at the back of parking lots so he can scan more ground for change.

"People walk right past pennies," Krumm said. "But I pick them up."

House-Panther Enrichment

2009-02-09T22:38:00.007-05:00

The other evening I was watching Animal Planet with my three house panthers, and we became intrigued by a program about big zoo cats. There was a great deal of talk among the zoo experts about the importance of keeping the large felines intellectually stimulated by means of what they referred to as "enrichment." This took many forms, including bowling balls, hay, and other toys rolled in rhino urine (apparently a favourite scent); battable, shredable cardboard boxes and tubes; and tasty meat popsicle treats. It appeared that the key to enrichment was variety.

I took a quick look at our own house panthers' few toys and decided it was time for a little enrichment. I ordered a Kitty Toy Gift Pack (a real bargain, I might add), from etsy's tigerfeather and it arrived today. Then enrichment was had by all.

Kitty Feather Teaser and Threadless (yep, threadless!) Catnip Pillow (Emma's favourite).

Threadless Catnip Mouse (the blue thing in Morgan's paw) and pink Catnip Puff.

Puff.

Mouse.

Emma couldn't get enough of the Catnip Pillow.

I can't...

...get enough...

...of this thing... *maul maul maul*

Isis plus feathers.

And then everyone needed a nice, long nap.

<

XIII

2009-02-03T14:32:00.004-05:00

My sobriety date is 3 February 1996, so today is my 13th sober anniversary. Huzzah!

As on my last anniversary, it is snowing, but that's good. I like snow.

Happy Snow Day, everyone!

2009-02-02T14:47:00.002-05:00

Speaking of waking from hibernation, it's Groundhog Day here in the U.S. of A. -- a holiday so absurd that an Australian friend to whom we described the occasion was convinced we were having a huge joke at his expense.

But oh no, my friends, Groundhog Day is indeed a real cause for celebration (or at least media attention) and no small number of men in towns across our fair land dress up in tuxedos to hold up some hefty groundhogs to the light of day and, the story goes, predict the remaining number of weeks of winter weather.

Yes, it's a strange nation.

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!

Silent Poetry Reading in Honor of St. Brigid

2009-02-02T14:06:00.003-05:00

Previous post. And for 2009, a favorite poem by Li-Young Lee.

This Room and Everything in It

Lie still now
while I prepare for my future,
certain hard days ahead,
when I'll need what I know so clearly this moment.

I am making use
of the one thing I learned
of all the things my father tried to teach me:
the art of memory.

I am letting this room
and everything in it
stand for my ideas about love
and its difficulties.

I'll let your love-cries,
those spacious notes
of a moment ago,
stand for distance.

Your scent,
that scent
of spice and a wound,
I'll let stand for mystery.

Your sunken belly
is the daily cup
of milk I drank
as a boy before morning prayer.

The sun on the face
of the wall
is God, the face
I can't see, my soul,

and so on, each thing
standing for a separate idea,
and those ideas forming the constellation
of my greater idea.
And one day, when I need
to tell myself something intelligent
about love,

I'll close my eyes
and recall this room and everything in it:
My body is estrangement.
This desire, perfection.
Your closed eyes my extinction.
Now I've forgotten my
idea. The book
on the windowsill, riffled by wind . . .
the even-numbered pages are
the past, the odd-
numbered pages, the future.
The sun is
God, your body is milk . . .

useless, useless . . .
your cries are song, my body's not me . . .
no good . . . my idea
has evaporated . . . your hair is time, your thighs are song . . .
it had something to do
with death . . . it had something
to do with love.

--Li-Young Lee, from The City in Which I Love You (1990)

Knit-In

2009-01-30T12:26:00.004-05:00

My annual winter malaise seems to be drawing to a close. If I could simply hibernate for most of November and December, life would be so much easier.

In any event, this winter I did manage to get out of bed on most of the shortest, dreariest days. Whether it was the B12 shots the doc said I needed, the fish oil capsules and multivitamin she told me to start taking, or simply the excitement of being back in the city, I got through it. Now the days are getting longer and I'm already beginning to perk up.

And I met someone to knit with. This isn't us, but I like the photo.

We got together earlier this week in the local Star*uck's and had a lovely time. She was working on some new lace; I cast on a white chenille hat. I want to make some new bunny-eared hats for Easter. There's a cute free pattern here if you want to make some, too.

DIY Cat Scratcher Pattern

2009-01-19T13:16:00.005-05:00

A few months ago I wanted to figure out how to make a cardboard scratcher for the girls. Well, someone has finally posted directions for a good-looking and what appears to be easy-to-make cardboard cat scratcher. I'm sure the girls would like this one. (Thanks to moderncat for the link.)

A Little Local Wildlife

2009-01-15T12:43:00.004-05:00

In Our Backyard

Apparently, there are nearly 200 different species of birds identified each year in Prospect Park. Imagine! That's a lot of birds passing through the middle of New York City. Over the past few weeks, Mr. O'Kitten and I have been fascinated by an all-white pigeon mingling with the other birds in our backyard. At first I thought it might be an albino, but I can't tell whether or not it has red or pink eyes.

I like to think of every New York City block creating an enclave of wildlife, with its gardens or greenery, birds, cats, squirrels, mice and other critters living in a little ecosystem almost unto itself.

Almost in Our Backyard

Then last night on the news there was a bit about wild monk (or quaker) parrots living in Brooklyn.

Made in Our Backyard

Lucy, Monster Hat No. 16
Lucy likes trains, Abby Cadabby, snow, and books. When she grows up to be a big monster she thinks she would like to be a bus driver, an astronaut, a baseball player, and a fairy princess.

Lucy is made of KPPPM and Yarn Lust tencel-merino 50-50 sock yarn.

Lucy and Mackenzie, who is now two.
Bonus Material

Broken Piggy Bank by Veronika Nagy.

Make a monthly spending plan -- new at The Money Shot.

A New Shtuff

2009-01-12T14:13:00.005-05:00

I finally posted something new at the Money Shot.
Go there to find out what this wee notebook is for.

"And this interests me because--?"

Happy Delurking Day! Thanks to everyone who visits me. I know you're out there--why not say hi today? I always reply if Bloogleglogger gives me your email address--although I know it makes it hard to leave comments and I'm guessing that if you visit and *don't* leave a comment it's because of the Glooglebloggle and not me, right? Right?

You can always email me at sohopixieATyahooDOTcom as well. {Speaking of which, SB, I'm sorry I didn't connect with you while you were in the city, and SU, I don't have your email addy.} Welcome one and all, lurkers and unlurkers and delurkers alike!

Stuff I Don't Really Quite Get

2009-01-09T14:19:00.002-05:00

I remain a Luddite about a lot of stuff, and there are many things that other people seem to enjoy a great deal that I simply can't fathom. Here's a partial list.

Does this look fun?
1. Warm climates. I simply cannot bear hot, humid weather. I grew up in such a climate and found the weather absolutely intolerable. Aside from perhaps having some pretty flowers (however, see Item No. 2), I simply can't see the appeal of visiting hot climates for vacation purposes. I don't like being in the water for any reason, and see swimming merely as a survival skill, much like tying a tourniquet or performing the Heimlich. If I'm lucky I could probably dog-paddle about 15 feet to safety should I fall into the water. If it's non-turbulent, not-very-cold water, that is.

To which I reply: Does this look fun?

2. Gardening. I have killed cactus (not on purpose). Plants do not mew or bark when they are hungry or thirsty, and they sure seem to need a lot of attention without giving you any in return. Then, there is the incessant weeding. And if you grew up in the afore-mentioned hot climate, your garden patch was inevitably rife with stinging fire ants. Need I say more?

The worst of two worlds.
3. Aerobic exercise. I know I should be able to find something redeeming in this one, but I simply cannot bear gasping for breath. Why would I willingly exert myself until I felt as though my heart and my lungs were going to explode? Here in New York I walk a lot--and briskly, beacause that's what New Yorkers do--and I hope that's enough.

Maybe I'll knit an iPhone, since everyone seems to think I need a cell.

4. Cell phones. Here's where my Luddite leanings are glaringly apparent. I don't even like regular phones--in fact, I have something of a phobia of the ringing telephone. I rarely answer it when I'm at home, so why would I want people to be able to find me when I'm not at home? And does anyone remember that not very long ago (not that long, I'm only 40) we didn't even have answering machines? How did we ever survive?! Heh.

5. Ugg boots. Are these going to go away soon? Of course, there was a time we thought rainbow suspenders and jelly shoes were cool, too.

Thanks, Mork.

And boy, would these make your feet sweat. Ew.

6. Artificial sweeteners. Okay, if you can't have sugar for medical reasons I understand this one. But does anyone have any idea how bad for you aspartame (i.e. Nutra-Sweet) is? I once met a woman whose father was an executive for Nutra-Sweet and he wouldn't let his family touch the stuff. Really. The medical evidence was so weighty against aspartame and the FDA was so loathe to approve it back in the early 1980s that it became a huge political fiasco. So you know who was brought in to push it through the system? A young Donald Rumsfeld. Scary stuff. So you might want to file this under stuff you'd rather not know.

So what don't you really quite get as 2009 commences? Leave us a comment and let us know.

When You Ask a Klingon to Watch Your Cat

2009-01-03T16:24:00.002-05:00

Does anyone besides me remember Data's cat Spot from Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Here's one of my favorite clips, when Data asks Worf to pet-sit and has to explain a bit about cat behavior to the slightly reluctant Klingon.

"Unlike a canine, Spot does not respond to verbal commands..."

FOs--Actual Finished Objects

2008-12-28T12:20:00.003-05:00

Constantine

Constantine, Monster Hat No. 15
Constantine is another Tri-Horn Monster. He likes black-and-white photography, enjoys Russian Literature, and has a soft spot for sugary cereals. He particularly likes snail mail, so will probably remind you to write thank-you notes if you have forgotten, or encourage you to find a pen pal.

Scarves and Such

I finished this Reverse Cable Rib scarf in time to give it to its intended recipient for Xmas. It turned out lovely, very thick and lush. The only pain was that every row was in 1 x 1 rib. If you knit you know what I mean.

More Christmas giftiness. I call these the Monet wristwarmers, because of the way the colors came out holding together two strands of sock yarn. Basically they're my usual wristwarmer pattern, with 2 x 2 rib at either end. Above is a blue pair, and below some mauve ones.

Knitsy News

A fellow etsy knitter has a new blog up. Leave her a comment by December 28 and you could win a $25 GC from KnitPicks!

I Didn't Send You a Card

2008-12-24T10:45:00.002-05:00

Don't take it personally, I didn't send anyone a card this year. A couple well-timed weeks of winter malaise and suddenly it was--well, too late.

But really, there's nothing better than a good I Can Has Cheezburger now, is there?

Happy Hollydays to you and all of your furbabies. And do try not to eat Santy Paws if you want any catnip treats in your stocking.

Yes, It Did

2008-12-20T12:05:00.002-05:00

Snow

It snowed.

A good New York City snow is really quite wonderful, at least for the first day, because it creates a weird sort of quiet combined with a brief and fleeting holiday atmosphere. The kids get out of school, traffic stops for a little while, and everything gets hushed and muffled by the blanket of white. The lull and the festive feeling don't last long, of course, but while they do, it's lovely.

Above is the view from our bedroom window onto the street in front of our apartment, and here is the view from our kitchen at the back. The girls love watching the birds flitter in and out of the tree and on and off the clotheslines.

Holiday Stuff

Some last-minute gift prep.

Stockings hung by the kitchen with care.
Isis stands guard and Morgan is on bird-watch at the back window.

Every year Mr. O'Kitten sets up the Playmobil Nativity Scene, and we debate about the extent to which the cats will molest the manger and its poor inhabitants. This year Bethlehem has been hit innumerable times by Hurricane Morgan, who is particularly fond of carrying the cats (just the cats, mind you) off into a far corner of the living room for safe keeping. That, and occasionally dropping a King onto the floor by his head.

Who, me? Do I look capable of wrecking such mayhem and destruction?

Mmmmeet Claude, with Daemonesses

2008-12-14T18:15:00.005-05:00

Claude

Claude, Monster Hat No. 14

Claude is my first adult monster hat and is truly man-sized. He is a close relative of Clarence the Cyclops Monster. Claude enjoys Impressionist Art, MMORPG games, and will eat the centers out of your Oreos and put the chocolate cookies back in the package after he licks them clean.

I really like the way these hats look from the back, and I'm especially happy with the results I got by holding two strands of yarn together. Claude is knit entirely from Yarn Lust yarn, including BFL, Donegal, Bamboo Sock, Merino Sock, and 50/50 Tencel/Merino.

Daemonesses

Daemoness 1. She will devour you from the toes upward if given the opportunity.

She may also be able to melt you with her eyes.

Daemoness 2 believes that looking directly at the camera will render her completely powerless. Or maybe she's just difficult. It hard to tell with these feline fiends.

Daemoness 3 wants to know what the other two are up to, and gleans great demony joy by instigating fights between them.

I So Am a Demon

2008-12-12T14:51:00.003-05:00

I so am a Demon. Or a Demoness. I'm all about things on fire. And the brooding. Plus, you may recall my fondness for all things with fangs.

Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Demon Your raging id needs no chemical incentive to break out into a fiery orgy of destruction. When you're not burning, you're brooding. All you need is someone to point the way out for you.
Sorceror
Vampire
Werewolf
Cthulu Spawn
Incubus/Succubus
Ghost
Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Thanks to The One Whom Chaos and Mayhem Own for the link.

I live with daemonesses, as well. Three of them, in feline form. And you know how wicked they can be.

Maps and Charts (again)

2008-12-11T11:27:00.003-05:00

Perhaps a Hybrid

Eddie Jabbour's Kick Design map proposal for the NYC subway
I love graphics and I love information, so I suppose it's no surprise that I should love maps and charts. Remember my glee at seeing all those old subway ads and maps at the NYC Transit Museum? Well, I just discovered that Eddie Jabbour from Kick Design, New York, has created a proposal for a new NYC subway map.

Detail of Jabbour's Kick Design map
I wonder if New Yorkers would go for it? They rejected Massimo Vignelli's spare, totally diagrammatic 1972 version and we've been using variations of a loosely topographic transit map since its introduction in 1979.

Interestingly, The Kick Map "...is designed with a combination of both diagrammatic and topographic features, thus enhancing the strengths and eliminating most of the weaknesses of both types. One premise of the Kick 'hybrid' map is that while most of the time a straight line is the easiest line to understand, there are important exceptions. ... [e.g.] The Kick Map employs 'route bends' in a subway line's route to signal to the user important above-ground road changes."

L-train line comparison (my own stop is Myrtle Av-Wycoff Av, at right)
Top: Vignelli's map; Center: The Kick Map; Bottom: current NYC subway map

I Got a Gift Idea

Continuing with the maps and charts theme, I found a cool site stocked with the most excellent charts, all beautifully designed, printed on archival paper, and mostly priced at $29 US. I'm so tempted to just polish off the rest of my holiday shopping right here, because I think I could find something for everyone...

How about the colorful History of Life on Earth, for example? "This poster illustrates the evolution of Life on Earth over the past 600 million years. A timeline with important ecological events and over 120 illustrations portrays the intricate changes in history that yield the rich biodiversity of today. History of Life on Earth received a semi-finalist honor at the most recent National Science Foundation International Science and Visualization Challenge." Can't beat that for $25.

Other categories include politics (Death and Taxes shows where Federal Income Taxes go), history (Race to the Moon), historical charts (like Chronology Delineated from 1813), sports (History of the Major Leagues), and pop culture (The Genealogy of Pop/Rock Music). Really good stuff.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

"We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars."
In further NYC subway news, I happened to be up late last night and caught this 1974 thriller on TCM. First of all, I love pretty much anything set in NYC, whether it's CSI: NY, NYPD Blue, or bad 1970s cops'n'robbers movies. (Can I welcome the US debut of Life on Mars as a hybrid of all of the above?)

But The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is none of the above--it was a really good, highly suspenseful film with a great cast: Walter Matthau as a cranky Transit Authority Cop, a young Jerry Stiller (looking suspiciously like son Ben here, I might add) as his fellow Lieutenant, a super-youthful Hector Elizando as one of the bad guys, and Doris Roberts in a brief appearance as the mayor's wife.

Tell me what's not to love about Walter Matthau.
(I always enjoy a good curmudgeon.)
Start with a satisfyingly dark plot, add a bit of blood and brutality, mix with lots of New York City grumpiness and cynicism for good measure and add a dose of black humor and you've got a totally enjoyable evening in the NYC subway system. I suppose with that recipe it should've been no surprise that Dark Knight creator and Sin City visionary Frank Miller selected The Taking of Pelham One Two Three among last night's movies, as I discovered when he joined Robert Osborne on the TCM easy chairs. Maybe he's promoting the Christmas release of The Spirit?

Bespeed Your Holiday Knitting

2008-12-09T12:33:00.002-05:00

File under: I don't know why I didn't think of this before...

My good buddy Ros over at Yarn Lust (who just posted some cute friends of mine over at her blog, by the way) suggested I could speed up knitting adult-sized Monster Hats by holding two yarns together. I've been using relatively fine-gauge yarns and size 1 through 4 needles, which is okay for small hats, but for big grown-up sized ones...um, not so much.

So I took her suggestion, and it was like mixing paints for the first time. This swatch photo is a variegated blue-green bamboo sock with two different shades of BFL--a bright blue/turquoise on the one end and a grey-hued one on the other. It's real pretty, right? In case you try this at home, a 2 x 2 rib (at left) worked just dandy, while a 1 x 1 rib (at right) looked all wonky.

So the beginning of the hat I've just begun is bamboo/blue BFL, blue BFL/donegal, then grey & green merino/grey BFL, grey BFL/grey-hued merino, which will now be most of the body of the hat. And instead of doing a M/L adult hat on size 3's at about 8-9 stitches per inch I'm using size 7's at about 5 stitches per inch--woohoo! And I think it looks just as beautiful. It's also producing a really thick, rich knit texture that I just love, not to mention the color blending.

Mildly curious, or wildly disinterested? Always hard to tell...

Mmmmmore Monsters

2008-12-07T16:13:00.005-05:00

Otto, Monster Hat No. 9

Otto is a distant relation of Theseus, the Surprised Bunny Monster, only Otto is far less surprised. Unlike Theseus, Otto enjoys Easter Egg hunts and has been known to foster baby chicks on occasion.

Hank, Monster Hat No. 10

Hank is an Alien Monster, as should be obvious from the rather prominent single antenna on his head. Aluminum foil helmets may be worn in his presence to avoid having him read your thoughts.

Ramon, Monster Hat No. 11

Like his sister Clytemnestra, Ramon is a Kat Monster, though he objects to the diminutive term "Kitty." Unbeknownst to Cly (as he calls her), he often tries surreptitiously to return the various small items she steals.

Henrietta, Monster Hat No. 12

What can I say about Henrietta the TriClops? She loves to play Old Maid, but often loses because she starts giggling uncontrollably as soon as she gets the Old Maid.

Matilda, Monster Hat No. 13

Likely related to Clytemnestra and Ramon (above), Matilda is really good at Scrabble, Lawn Jarts, and making one mean cup of tea.

The Isis Monster--also possibly related to Clytemnestra, Ramon and Matilda (as we go to print this rumor is as yet unconfirmed)--looking as unimpressed as ever.

Mmmm...Monsters

2008-12-02T14:20:00.004-05:00

I've been very busy making wee monster hats for the holidays. I can't resist giving you a sneak preview of what's been taking up so much of my time lately. Details of the exact yarns (most of which are from Yarn Lust) and sizes will be on Ravelry (I'm okitten there) soon, but for now, just a few pics of some of the spooky creatures will debut here. Custom orders available on etsy!

Clytemnestra, Monster Hat No. 2

Clytemnestra is a Monster Kat. She stalks tuna (in or out of the can), craves sashimi, and can't help but pocket sparkly things that catch her eye.

Franklin, Monster Hat No. 3

Franklin the Green-Horned Monster is quite possibly from Sasketchewan and enjoys ice fishing, curling, and riding on the back of the Zamboni at the hockey rink.

Sam (Samantha), Monster Hat No. 4

Sam is a Triclops Monster that avidly follows the financial markets so she has been a little depressed lately. She likes to sleep in the business section of your local paper, or wrapped snugly in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, if she can get it.

Clarence, Monster Hat No. 5

Clarence the Cyclops Monster is a bit myopic so he is very shy and prefers to stay at home working crossword puzzles, doing the jumble, and playing mah jongg solitaire on the computer.

Theseus, Monster Hat No. 6

Theseus the Surprised Bunny Monster has not recovered from some unspecified Easter trauma. I rather suspect it had to do with a basket of brightly coloured eggs and some stranger dressed up in a furry suit.

Othello, Monster Hat No. 7

Othello the Toothy Monster is always slightly baffled, but enjoys riddles, knock-knock jokes, and trivia about Hollywood celebrities.

Agnes, Monster Hat No. 8

Agnes is a Tri-Horn Monster. She is extrememly sensitive and may even have ESP.

Morgan-Monster is very curious about the other monsters in her house.

Isis-Monster remains unimpressed and prefers her mouse to monsters.

Ten Things, Relatively Random

2008-11-24T11:56:00.004-05:00

Ten random things (meme stolen from Knotty Mouse)

1. Magazines subscribed to - Time Out New York. Like Mouse, I would like to someday renew my subscription to BUST magazine, and would love to subscribe to Craft (craftzine.com).

2. Aside from knitting, my favorite pasttimes are - spinning (hm...haven't done that in awhile), working on my blog (not that you can tell from my prolonged puter absences, hehheh), taking walks in the city, doing crosswords, watching the telly, going to the movies.

3. If I were not a dilettante (insert your own profession), I would be - a dilettante. Why, oh why can't this be a viable way to make a living? I really ought to have been independently wealthy.

4. I am irrationally worried about - being stabbed to death in the shower.

5. If I were the opposite sex - I wouldn't be terribly handsome, but I'd spread my knees apart so I'd take up a lot more room on the subway, and I'd scratch my crotch with happy abandon.

6. The thing I miss most about childhood is - I don't. I tell everyone I'm nine years old anyway--and they usually believe me.

7. I like to collect - nothing really anymore. I used to collect lots of things, from cat figurines to postcards to art books, but recently I've pared down my life and I'm happy about that. Lately I've been trying to collect sock yarn to make monster hats, but that's different, because I only want it so I can use it up.

8. Though I’ve never been there, I feel inexplicably homesick for - Scotland

9. I’ve never really liked to eat - most kinds of holiday cookies. They're usually too hard and dry. I really only like chocolate chip, or molasses or peanut butter if they're soft.

10. When I have nightmares, they’re usually about - driving (even though I don't have a car anymore). In the dream, I don't quite have complete control of the car and have to somehow stop it without hurting anyone, crashing, or hurting myself...hm! I also have apocalyptic war dreams where the entire city is being destroyed in a huge invasion--by land, air, and sea, and everything is exploding--those are truly awful.

A better place to be if the world is going to end?
That is, if I don't get stabbed to death in the shower first.