Miscellany of a Cheshire Cat

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson

Spring Passing / Summer Promising: A short series.
So often we celebrate spring or summer. But right now, in my garden, it’s the time when spring is starting to wan while summer is not yet ready to explode.

The flowers on the azaleas and the pink bush of doom are starting to lose their flowers. I’m really excited by the progress the peonies are making since being transplanted last Fall. They have settled in and taken off! I was concerned when I planted them that the soil was too low quality for them along the fence. Apparently I was wrong. I can’t wait until they start blooming! The two new rose bushes are in the ground and I’m hoping for flowers this summer but not holding my breath. The other rose bush is already budding up a storm and I’m not sure the new ones will catch up.

After a few chilly gray days I’ve been opening windows to try to get the house to warm up. Ah… the thermal glory of stone walls. I wish they went all the way up instead of just the first floor!

tags: azaleas, flowers, peonies, photographs, photography, roses, spring, summer

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

Sure, he’s cute. Apparently suitcases are like boxes and baskets: they require a cat to be considered complete.

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson

This was a double-movie weekend. This is what seems to happen if one of us is away for the week. Most weekends we hit the movies, but sometimes we double-up.

Iron Man was awesome and lived up to my expectations after a week of hype. The casting was excellent, the effects were fun and convincing, the plot was one I could really get into… yeah, I could see it again and not just because I’m a popcorn addict. It was the best action movie I’ve seen in a while! Fun!!!

Speed Racer was also an amazing ride - we saw it on the IMAX screen and … wow. The visual effects in the movie are fabulous. The casting was great - I love John Goodman and Susan Sarandon (Pops and Mom Racer) and Emile Hirsch was a great choice for Speed Racer. The only unfortunate choice was Chrstina Ricci as Trixie. Next to baby-faced Hirsch (who is also 5 years younger than she is), Ricci looked obviously older in their closeups. It’s a PG movie, it’s not terribly complex or unpredictable, but it is a great ride.

tags: iron man, movies, reviews, speed racer

I went to an SCA event this weekend - Ducal Challenge over in Baron Sands. I know, this was rather shocking since I hardly ever go to events. It was a lovely, gray, cool and breezy day. We arrived late, but there was still fencing to be had for the Fop and fighting for me to watch and snap a few photos of. The problem with riding to an event with the King’s Rapier Champion is that you have to stay for Court. I did finish stringing a green garnet/carnelian/amber necklace during Court - now I just need to add the clasp.

After the event we headed to Casa di Thomas & Marion for some food, socializing and a viewing of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings with RiffTrax commentary. The silliness of MST3K + the extended storyline of Tolkien = highly amusing movie. (It was still amusing despite my need to sleep.) All in all a good day.

Sunday was absorbed by making brunch, calling mothers, running errands and such. I made bacon and I think the smell has only just now, 2 days later, disappeared. There’s nothing like walking down the stairs or coming back into the house and thinking, “Mmmmm, bacon!” I got a pair of rosebushes at BJ’s that I need to get in the ground today too. The basil plants I started from seed look ready to be planted al fresco but the peppers need another week before they go outside I think. Hurray for another week of impending puttering in the dirt!

Yesterday was a busy day of work and grocery shopping. There’s nothing like needing to be very productive on a Monday that is already filled with meetings!

tags: ducal challenge, gardening, lord of the rings, rifftrax, sca, weekend

Indeed it is good to be the cat. Tenny has snoozed this gray, blah Monday right away. He is adorable, even when he snores. So you see, it was such a sleepy day that Monster cat was posted terribly late! Uh huh… sure.

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson

I shall survive this week!

Monday night, after a long day of meetingness, I headed down to Mike’s house for dinner with his fabulous wife Lise and the superheroes. Lise is an secret super hero because she makes kick-butt guacamole. The little superheroes are really quite endearing. And clearly too smart for their parents’ own good. It was fun hanging out with children and adults - I could have easily stayed chatting far to late and ended up sleep deprived for tomorrow morning. While chatting, we saw two raccoons in their backyard. On my way back to the highway I saw 2 opossums and 4 white tailed deer, all does, all big. Well, big in the sense that they were taller and heavier than the little runt deer we usually see in the Philly area. Certainly more than match for the little Prius I’m renting this year.

The Prius is a cool little car but it feels a bit like a toy. I’ve put a lot of miles on it so far - enough that I had to put gas in it tonight. *gasp* I could definitely see buying one if I drove more… and I think I’ll be researching it a bit anyway.

Last night I went out with Ann and Andy to a fabulous Italian place in Providence called Siena. The wait was considerably longer than quoted but the comps and food definitely made up for it. The food was divine. The company was fabulous. The evening rocked.

Tonight we had dinner somewhat as a team. More Italian food which was tasty enough for delivery/catering food. After, I gave Andy a ride home, he, Ann and I sat in their gazebo for a bit talking. It’s so nice to sit and chat about randomness. I’ve done a lot of that this week and I have apparently missed doing it more. I’m not going to think about that all that much. Over-analysis leads to melancholy!

The all-afternoon team meetings have been bigger than I expected with a lot more people from external teams than I envisioned but mostly useful all the same. ;) We have 3 new people on the team I hadn’t met before this week so it’s been good to meet them.

I am all checked in for my flight tomorrow. It’s been a fun week filled with fun people so far - my fingers are crossed for the rest of the week to finish out just as well.

tags: adventures, dining, fun, meetings, people, travel, work

Yep, I suspect I’m in for quite the monster guilt trip when I get home. I’ve traveled approximately every other week for 5 weeks now. Monster Cat is unimpressed. And he’s expressing his dissatisfaction by pestering the Fop. I’m doomed.

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson

That’s right, Monster Cat is very handy when it comes to building furniture. Being a very social cat, he likes to be in the middle of things so it only makes sense that he would assist and coordinate home projects. (If he weren’t supervising, we’d have to simply say he’s in the way!) This strip is also a semi-flashback as the photos were taken in 2002/2003-ish. (The actual dates are home on the desktop machine so I’m not certain.) The guest-thumb-monkey is my brother Jon who very helpfully assembled a cabinet for me for my old condo. That cabinet is still very popular with the cats because it’s where we keep the catnip and treats.

More comics at: The Chronicles of Monster Cat

tags: cats, comics, monster cat, silly, tennyson