Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category
Copernicus debuts with MC Hammer dance
Copernicus has finally arrived in Oakland! He’s stepping up big time in this stop motion video to pay homage to Oakland native (just like himself) MC Hammer and the song that seems apropos to the non-stop living that this cat displays on a regular basis. If you haven’t gotten a Da Bird for your cat yet, you are completely a bad cat guardian…and worst yet, a terrible person for not giving your cat(s) this glorious cat activity to fulfill his/her/their otherwise drab and dreary, most of the time banal lifestyle.
Why don’t you take a page out of MC Hammer’s 2 Legit 2 Quit remix and Copernicus’ victorious and legendary no quit attitude and buy your cat this toy! Better yet, just dance to this song first, then go buy the toy!
btw: if you’re wondering how to make a stop motion video, check out Bionx’s iStopMotion app!
Friday Catshow
It’s Friday and a joyous time to send out the love because Caturday is around the corner! Woo-hoo!
Here’s a few lazy afternoon images of our cats, Jhumpa and Copernicus!
Jhumpa definitely is the queen of laziness. Add this image to her loungy photo session.
Copernicus still loves the laundry basket…why? Dunno, but he’s sold on it and has been since he was a kitten.
One of his many “buddy guy” quirks.
Wednesday Cat Show
Recently had another spell of inspiration from getting another Canon 5D (sold my original last year) and married it with a 50mm Zeiss 1.4 ZE Planar. I had the old 5D with a Zeiss 35mm (excellent glass as well). This Fifty though…creamy and soft when wide open at f1.4, and sharp and crisp when stopping down.
Understandably, more catshows will be coming.
#BOOM
Birth-Caturday
Caturdays are celebratory days for cats and cat guardians (that’s me and my wife). Not that ownership is a derogatory or demeaning terminology, but we’re very appreciative of having our furbabies arounds and quite thankful to have them in our lives while taking good care of them as they take care of us.
January 12, 2013 marks the day that our Copernicus turns one years old. We found him in March of last year a little after his two brothers were adopted as we were arriving at Berkeley Humane. He really has given us a lot of joy, comfort, love, and laughter. And, he’s recently learned (without our training or asking) to jump on our backs and hang out. It’s quite hilarious. Add it to his quirks, I guess.
Happy Birthday, ‘Perni…you are, and forever will be, my buddy guy.
Wednesday Catshow
Our Copernicus recently turned 10 months old. So much happiness has happened since he arrived in our home. Here’s a quick look at the cuteness suprema! He reminds us a lot of our cat, Cafe con Leche, who passed away earlier this year. He’s never going to replace her and her wonderful spirit, but he is full of character, charisma, and cuteness.
These were taken a week after he came into our home. We were invited to our friends’ house to have a viewing party. Paola and I thought it was a good idea to put a bell on him just in case he decided to hide. However, around these two photos of him in the kitchen, about 12 people were standing by, eating and mingling. The oven was on and he couldn’t help but nestle himself next to it. He does this now when our oven is on…evidence of him doing that to come soon.
The images below are of him recently growing into his comfort zone. He wasn’t able to jump onto the credenza two months ago…and I knew that once he was able to, that was going to be the end of the world. He’s found a great spot on top of the airport device (of course, it’s nice and warm).
One creepy, but very cute thing he does now is stand behind the tv, on top of the airport, and looks at us through the mirror. He hides, then peeks…he even does it when he jumps into the tub and watches us behind the shower curtains (queue stalker music from Jason).
Thursday Catshow
We do have another cat, Jhumpa, who’s usually hiding…and up until recently, one of our friends believed Copernicus (pictured above) was our sole fur-baby. This littel guy seems more docile and camera friendly most of the time.
Thursday Catshow
We did laundry the other day and this cat just couldn’t stop jumping into the hamper to play. Maybe it’s a sign that he wants to be laundered?
Cheap Phone Plan Alternative
The new iphone 5 is really great. Just like the image above of our two cats cuddling together, you simply have to give into it. There’s no arguing that the new iphone is purty and sleek, especially if you’re a loyal Apple customer. There’s an added bonus for getting this new one too. More Loyalty! That’s the feeling you definitely can obtain when you’re a brand snob or elitist (don’t worry, I’m a Canon whore). And even if you’re a Samsung or HTC user, there are plenty of great options out there to choose.
BUT…what if you don’t have a brand to follow? What if you feel like you want to step away from the exorbitant data plan fees?
image courtesy of wikipedia
And what if you want to just go back to a simpler time…1999 when phones were just as simple as the Nokia candy bar phone? This was actually my first phone after reluctantly accepting a gift from my brother as a birthday present.
Since that phone, I have gone from Motorola to Blackberry and flip phones to ultra sleek smart phones. In the two years, I have returned to a very simple working phone. Between my office phone line and being in front of a computer all day, then returning home to have wifi connection, my data plan became obsolete. I also didn’t make a lot of phone calls so even 450 minutes a month left me with a surplus of time I couldn’t rollover. I eventually called my carrier and talked them into giving me an emergency plan of 50 minutes a month for $24.99. At the time, I was okay with that because I still used a phone to call family and friends on weekends, though I texted more than called. I eventually felt like I could use that 450 minutes this last year because of various things that was happening in our life at home. My bill shot back up to $39.99 per month.
The last couple of months have been difficult for us. My wife just started two new jobs at two different preschools. I know how fortunate we do have it since we do have 3 jobs combined. It’s the getting to this position that was straining. If you can imagine a car always almost at a quarter tank each time you have to drive 80-120 miles every time, but a gas station is at the end of those miles, you’re sort of at ease, but you’re also a bit stressed out.
To cut down on cost was a challenge. Expenses were cut drastically. Grocery stores, going out to eat, and getting the essentials were also part of that challenge. I eventually decided to go with a pay-as-you-go phone. Nothing glamourous about it at all. See it here. This phone, at it’s purest level, is an emergency phone. There’s a few plans, but they’re all suited for different needs. My plan is a $1.99 per daily use of phone. That’s not counting those days you don’t use it. It’s unlimited minutes for mobile to mobile (Verizon), unlimited for the day, and $.02 per text. And if you’re now wondering, texting is not the same as making a call.
The image of that phone from Target is great. I purchased it for $15.00 last month. It came with an additional $10 bonus of talk/text time. So far, I’ve only used $.04 on the phone. I save money by using a free service provided by Google Voice. Free texting!!! This means that I don’t have to use up any of my money to make text messages to friends. I use it on my ipod touch, laptop, and desktop (at work).
So for less than $15 dollars every two months, I can have a phone to use to make unlimited phone calls if I needed to on any given day. Is that worth it for me? YES. Could it be an alternative for you? OF COURSE! Will you fall in love with a flip phone again? I HOPE SO!
Interested in the phone? Go here.
Hodgepodgereel 
