My Favs of 2014

I also really like the polka dot duvet cover I got on sale.

This is by no means a definitive "best of 2014" list. I have not read, watched, or looked at enough things to make such a list. Just a few of my favorite things I read, watched, and looked at in 2014.

Books

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - My absolute top favorite piece of media in any medium this year. After the unwieldy 1Q84, some worried Murakami had lost his touch. But this year we got a translation of his latest novel, which is also one of his best. A shy young man's life is upended when his close-knit group of friends mysteriously abandon him. Many lonely years later, he finds the courage to confront them about what happened. The novel also handles a tough topic (that coincidentally became an explosive topic in 2014) with compassion and intelligence.

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide - Man doesn't consider himself a "cat person." Then he meets a cat. I also read Tom Cox's Under the Paw, a book about a man who considers himself a cat person and obtains lots of cats. (Ironically, the above Murakami was uncharacteristically catless.)

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver - This collection is likely the swan song of this great poet. A Thousand Mornings is no American Primitive, and I admit I thought her poems about her late dog Percy were overwrought (until my own elderly cat passed away). But it did include one of my new favorite lines ever, in "Out of the Stump Rot, Something": "If you like a prettiness,/ don't come here./ Look at pictures instead,/ or wait for the daffodils."

Other favorites that are not from 2014 but that I read for the first time in 2014:

The Savage Detectives and Amulet by Roberto Bolaño - I went on a Roberto Bolaño binge this year. Like Balzac, Bolaño works with a large cast of characters who span the globe but are mostly rooted in Mexico City. Of these, my favorite is Auxilio Lacouture, a middle-aged drifter and literary devotee from Uruguay who calls herself the "mother of Mexican poetry." In one chapter of Savage Detectives, she tells her story of staying in a bathroom during the army's 1968 takeover of the University of Mexico. In the novella Amulet, we get a fuller picture of her hardscrabble, poetry-filled life.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - I don't usually read thrillers, but when I saw the incredible trailer, I knew I needed to read the book ASAP or I would look up spoilers. Even if you know some of the twists, it's still a tense "in one sitting" read. (Warning: there will be some spoilers in my ramblings on the movie version below.)

Short Stories

"Someone in the Room Will" by Falcon Miller in The Rag - Even when I'm fortunate enough to get a contributor's copy of a literary magazine, I'm still convinced my piece was the worst piece. My favorite piece, however, in my contributor's copy of The Rag #6, was Falcon Miller's clear-eyed but empathetic portrait of a woman who is just not going to make it in society.

"River So Close" by Melinda Moustakis in Granta - Another story told about people at the fringes, "River so Close" in Granta #128 tells the story of a younger, sharper woman who is a seasonal worker at an Alaskan cannery where danger takes many forms.

Art

For the Sake of Being(s), Katy Horan and Katherine Rutter at Gallery LeQuiVive in Oakland - I'm a longtime fan of Horan, but this joint show focusing on nature and dark femininity was my first introduction to Rutter's work.

Modern Nature: Georgia O'Keeffe and Lake George, O'Keeffe retrospective at the de Young in San Francisco - The giant flowers were there, but this exhibit showed off the artist's range of subjects, from abstract, modern cityscapes to landscapes far removed from her well known desert scenes.

Movies 

It was a great year for Marvel actors doing arty genre pieces.

Snowpiercer - A cruelly topical, claustrophobic, existential nightmare in which director Joon-ho Bong somehow seamlessly includes slapstick humor and kick-ass action. After the human-caused apocalypse, Earth's only survivors live on a socially stratified train doomed to circle the globe continuously (Marvel Person Count: 1, Captain America. Tilda Swinton: Yes. John Hurt: Yes.)

Under the Skin - This "alien has moral crisis on Earth" movie directed by Jonathan Glazer is...not for everyone. I had to reflect on it for a while before I even knew if it was for me. It's a contemplative film with beautiful visuals and little dialogue. Several people in the viewing I attended walked out, most memorably some guy who apparently decided he just could not watch Scarlett Johansson slowly, slowly, slowly, ever so slowly eat cake. That was where this unknown man drew the line. (Marvel Person Count: 1, Black Widow. Tilda Swinton: No. John Hurt: No.)

Only Lovers Left Alive - The main characters are vampires in this Jim Jarmusch film, but this is less of a "vampire movie" than it is a funny, moving family drama that takes place in deserted Detroit, USA and vibrant Tangier, Morocco. A sunny, earthy woman and her younger musician husband deal with his depression and her reckless little sister. (Marvel Person Count: 1, Loki. Tilda Swinton: Yes. John Hurt: Yes.)

Gone Girl - I read the book so I wouldn't look up spoilers for the movie, and then I had to wait for what felt like forever for the movie! I enjoyed this David Fincher adaptation - I'm sure it helped that Flynn did the screenplay. Some see Amy Elliot Dunne as the ultimate "men's rights activist" strawwoman, but I think she's her own great villain, and Rosamund Pike was excellent in this role (favorite moments: competitive miniature golf, post-murder hair-flip, and that grin at Ben Affleck from the examination room). Although true to the source material, the movie managed to add to a lot of dark humor. Missi Pyle as fake Nancy Grace was a great bonus. (Marvel Person Count: -0.5, with 0.5 for Daredevil and -1 for Batman. Tilda Swinton: No. John Hurt: No.)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Guardians of the Galaxy - with a topical political thriller and zany-cute space comedy, Marvel proved it can keep their millions of superhero movies fresh. (Marvel Person Count: check with payroll. Tilda Swinton: No. John Hurt: No.)

TV

Gotham - This prequel series is cheesy and trying to cram in too many famous characters, but I love it. Robin Lord Taylor is an absolute breakout as Oswald Cobblepot (better known as the Penguin) steadily working his way up the ranks of the Gotham underworld. Jada Pinkett Smith, as new character Fish Mooney, is over-the-top and entertaining as a villain who mixes deadliness with the camp of the 1960s series.

South Park - Who knew 18 was a lucky season? The show, which began as a crudely animated short in 1992, found new life in 2014 by drawing inspiration from Silicon Valley, gluten, and pop-star/middle-aged geologist Lorde.

Comics

And...the Rainbow Brite theme song's in my head.

Loki: Agent of Asgard - The Asgardians had quite a 2014, which should provide the foundation for a great 2015. Except for Thor, who lost the power to wield Mjolnir and was replaced by a new Thor (popular new name for old Thor as suggested by Katie Schenkel: Snortblat). Loki: AOA started in February, and then led to a mini-series, Thor & Loki: the Tenth Realm, where the brothers met their long-lost older sister, Angela, who then got her own book, Angela: Asgard's Assassin. And a new Thor has begun telling the story of the still-unknown woman who has taken Snortblat Thor Odinson's place as Thunder God.

Loki: AOA has been my favorite, though. Continuing the extreme identity crisis and self-hatred that Kieron Gillen launched for him at the end of Journey Into Mystery, AOA finds Loki living in New York, singing in the shower, playing video games, grilling salmon, and making yet another take-no-shit platonic female friend. But of course, drama finds him. With clever writing by Al Ewing and art by Lee Garbett, highlights have included a guest appearance by Doctor Doom and goddaughter Valeria, the most determined band of juggling-themed supervillains ever, and an obnoxiously heroic Loki who can turn into Thor AND a unicorn.

Top Three Cat Brother-Sister Internet Acts

Maybe Leslie and GOB worked better as siblings. :'(

Actually not as much "top three cat brother-sister internet acts" as much as "three cat brother-sister internet acts I happened to think of." Basically, this is a list that wouldn't even make the Buzzfeed cut, despite being 100% cats.

3) Scuba...and Shadow

What is that gray lump in the foreground?

These guys are the reason for this list being made. Well, Scuba is. If you frequent reddit or reddit-cat-content-reposter LoveMeow, you've probably seen Scuba over the past week. Scuba, with her acid-trip eyes, lynx-like ear tufts, and a smile that ranges from coy to threatening, is likely the internet's next big cat star. Apparently she has a brother, Shadow. Shadow is a perfectly acceptable looking cat, and is probably very nice. But he just doesn't have that je ne sais quoi that will hopefully make Scuba this season's cat version of 2012 Jennifer Lawrence.

2) Grumpy Cat...and Pokey

Sharing the spotlight? No.

Once upon a time in Arizona, a calico cat got knocked up by a stray tom and gave birth to a litter containing two deformed kittens. One of these kittens grew up to become the biggest meme-to-mainstream phenomenon we've yet seen, with celebrity appearances, merchandise, a line of cat treats, and even a Lifetime holiday movie. The other is Pokey. While Grumpy Cat (real, un-PC name: Tardar Sauce) scowls with character, although not quite $100 million worth of character, Pokey never managed to charm the masses with his vacant, if amiable, expression. 

1) Guremike

Synchronized sleeping champions.

No Shadows or Pokeys here! We don't have the names of the cats of guremike. Such human designations are below them. (Cute Overload calls them Thing One and Thing Two.) While there might be occasional sibling rivalry, for the most part these two are in transcendent harmony.

Special Mention: Maru and Hana

Maru and Hana might not be related by blood, but they're still brother and sister at heart. They fight! They play! They cuddle! When Maru's owner introduced a kitten into their household, it wasn't clear how Hana's presence would change the blog and YouTube channel of the Famous Internet Cat trailblazer. But young Hana has proven herself an asset, being a befuddled straight man to wonderfully weird Maru one moment and frisky wildcard the next. On her own, Hana's a pretty normal tabby, but with beloved big brother Maru, she's a star. Or a co-star, at least.

But which pair should be dramatic superheroes?

Images:
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett in Blades of Glory: movpins
Scuba and Shadow: their Instagram
Grumpy and Pokey: their Grumpy's Facebook
Guremike: this adorable set
Maru and Hana: their blog
Magneto's kids: Marko Djurdjevic cover

Black Cats for October

A few years ago I did a post on black cats for Friday the 13th, which looked at kitties from art and literature. With their traditional connection to bad luck and the fact that they're not as "flashy" as other kittens, it's always a little more nerve-racking than usual giving a black foster kitten back to the shelter for adoption. Since it's the month of black cats appearing in decorations (often with witches), here are some more stellar examples of that much maligned, Halloweeny animal.

Bear

Won't someone give him a cuddle and listen to his poems?

18-year-old Bear is the subject of owner Tom Cox's many books about being a crazy cat man, but he's become so widely known because of cat's best friend: the internet. Photos of the melancholic Bear and the reasons for his sorrow are paired on his hit Why My Cat Is Sad twitter account, which currently has 172k followers. His persistently heartbroken little face just demands you pick him up for a hug and kiss. Fortunately, despite having a rough history, Bear is adored by his family. And understandably, Cox is a black cat advocate.

My cat is sad because life has given him many, many lemons & he cannot use them to make lemonade because he is a cat. pic.twitter.com/PhAVk905EI
— WHY MY CAT IS SAD (@MYSADCAT) September 17, 2014

Isis

Not THAT Isis.

Batman sometimes-villain, sometimes-hero Catwoman is the undisputed queen of the felines. Fans of the classic, stylish Batman: the Animated Series might remember Isis, a sleek black cat who matched Catwoman's sleek black cat costume. Selina Kyle has been portrayed as having different "main" cats over the years (Hecate, for example, in the 1966 Batman movie, aka the best movie of all time), but Isis from the various animated shows is the definitive one for me.

Forget the diamonds, Isis has canned food!

Shorty

Shorty is appalled or stoned.

Half of popular YouTube cat duo Sho Ko, fluffy, cuddly, energetic kitty Shorty is also an advocate for black cats everywhere. (Except when sidelined by her addiction to catnip bananas.)

Cole

Good, 'cause I always need hair ties.

Like Shorty, Cole is the older half of a YouTube kitty pair (Cole & Marmalade). And like Shorty's owner, Cole's owner has a soft spot for black cats. Good news for this formerly tiny rescue!

Salem

...

Like Isis, here's another black cat the intersection of comics and television - and a witch's black cat at that. Salem, the cat of Archie Comics' teenage witch Sabrina, was once a sorcerer who tried to take over the world. His punishment? Being turned into a cat. And then sharing a bed with a teenage girl. Salem reached top popularity on the 90s sitcom, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, where he was voiced by Nick Bakay and portrayed by both real cats and a terrifying robot cat. Since then he's starred in Sabrina, the Animated Series, made an appearance in gritty smash hit Afterlife with Archie, and has even gotten his own origin comic about his adventures before living the Humbert Humbert dream.



Image Sources:
Vintage cat: The Graphics Fairy
Bear: Bear's twitter
Isis: DC Animated Universe wiki
Isis again: DC Animated Universe wiki
Shorty: Shorty and Kodi's Facebook
Cole: Cole and Marmalade's Facebook
Salem: from Afterlife With Archie #1, illustrated by Francesco Francavilla

Lil Bub: the Art Show

I've long been a fan of famous kitty Lil Bub. I wrote about her over a year ago, and have been following her on social media ever since. But when I learned there would be a Lil Bub appearance and art show at San Francisco gallery Spoke Art, I was conflicted. On one hand, I really wanted to go. On the other, I didn't know if I wanted to admit to myself and others that I would pay over $20 to meet a famous cat. But finally I decided, "Fine. I will be the sort of person who pays over $20 to meet a famous cat." Fortunately, I wasn't the only  one.

Line reached nearly all the way from Jones to Leavenworth.

We're having a heat wave in SF (fyi that means in the 80s), and I am also apparently the sort of person - and in good company - who will stand in the blazing sun for over an hour and a half to meet a famous cat. Massive thanks to the lady who held my spot so I could go get a cold drink, since, winner that I am, I went alone.

I had been doing a lot of soul-searching regarding this famous cat visit (can one feel outrage about the NSA, concern over Syria, and still pay money to visit a famous cat?) and even more soul-searching regarding the art show. It reminded me of Gallery 1988's frequent themed events. I'd loved to have attended their Breaking Bad show (talked about here) if I lived in LA, but it also kinda feels like marketing. And that's a line pop surrealism/low brow has always skirted along. How are these images of pop culture being used? As satire, homage, metaphor, promotion? For fun? And if for fun, is there substance behind it as well? A friend and I wondered this when we attended a Todd Schorr exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art in 2009. Schorr's work often features recognizable characters from film and cartoons. His large-scale paintings take exacting skill, but while some works used those characters to create deeper meanings, some seemed to be more along the lines of "I like movie monsters so I painted a whole bunch of movie monsters."

I wondered what the range of the art in this show would be. From what I could see of the works from the Breaking Bad show (and other pop culture shows), some artists really explored the themes and ideas in the series, and some just kinda drew Walt and Jesse. I also wondered if I were being too judgmental. After all, what is the substance of a still life?

However, I really enjoyed the Lil Bub art show. There are over 50 works, and they gave me a lot to think about: art, genre, intention. Also, they were, you know, pictures of a cute cat. So, on with the cat art!

Supersonic Space Princess by Arabella Proffer

Now here's a piece where I think, "Style versus substance? Who fucking cares!" I love this piece's Tara McPherson/Lisa Frank sensibility. Here's "space cat" Lil Bub, with a floating crown, in a beautifully colored landscape. There were a lot of "Lil Bub in space" paintings, since part of the "story" is that Lil Bub comes from another planet, but this was my favorite.

Companions of Whimsy, Nicomi Nix Turner

Sorry for the crappy pic, by the way. There were also a lot of "Lil Bub's head surrounded by flowers" pieces, but I liked what Nix Turner did here. Bub's graphite face and bow are pure kitsch, but instead of daisies and butterflies we get mushrooms and less "appealing" insects. I like this exploration of oddness and cuteness and how the two can oppose each other or intersect.

Frail Caress, kikyz1313

I feel like this piece made similar explorations. Lil Bub, while adorable, is a medical oddity. She was a "special needs" kitten and, while currently healthy, continues to need special care. With its depiction of fragility, beauty, decay, and kindness, this piece reminded me of Mary Oliver's poem "The Kitten."

Bub Paints a Space Beetle, Lilly Piri

Although real-life Bub has been known to ruthlessly attack bugs, another artist, Lilly Piri, depicts "different" kitty Bub and insects as kindred spirits. It's suiting - after all, Bub the champion of the strange is different than Bub the actual cat, who just wants pets and yogurt and would maybe like to eat a bug. I liked this charming contribution in Piri's delicate style.

By the Power of Bub by Aaron Jasinski

I had deemed this a "pop surrealism masterpiece" in my mind before I even saw it was by the great Aaron Jasinski. An internet-famous cat. 80s cartoon nostalgia. Celebrities. Pop-tarts. If this isn't a slide in an art history class someday, I will be disappointed.

Lil Bub's Moonlight Ride, Isabel Samaras

Isabel Samaras was another big name in the show. Her work is generally "pop culture figure in unexpected setting," and that's what we get here with Bub replacing E.T. I would not have had so many nightmares about that movie as a kid if the alien had been Bub instead!

Cult of Bub, Heiko Windisch

This was one of the few pieces that looked critically at Lil Bub's fame, though none too harshly. With a quirky storybook style, Windisch shows both the silliness and joy in being a Bub fan.

Lil Bub in Love, Christine Hostetler 

There were two more watercolors by Hostetler of two of Bub's celebrity encounters, but this one, a portrait of Lil Bub and her "dude" (aka owner Mike), was one of my favorites of the show. It's a sweet reminder that at the heart of the Bub frenzy is just a guy and his beloved cat who loves him back. It's easy to forget that despite the fame, this story started off with a man who took in a stray, medically fragile kitten. His love and respect for Bub was shown in how this event was structured (more on that at the end of this post).

Purring, Rebecca Rose

This fun silver ring of Bub popping out of a computer was one of the few non-paintings in the show (others included some yarnwork and a series of photos of a naked woman in a Bub mask). I'm not sure how comfortable it would be to wear, but it would be great for self-defense!

Three pieces by Johanna O'Donnell

Here's another one of those "style versus substance"questions where I'm on the side of style. The project was to make art of Lil Bub, and O'Donnell did that in a gorgeous, entertaining way. Why not have a beautiful triangular painting of Lil Bub and geometric shapes in your living room instead of a painting of flowers? Why the hell not?

These are just a few of the many, many pieces at the show that stood out to me in some way. I'm sure others will have different favorites. There's a play on Schrodinger's Cat, Bub as a comic book character - even a "Heisenbub" for us Breaking Bad fans. I'm glad I decided to wave my crazy cat lady flag and get a ticket.

Update 9/11: Spoke Art posted all of the works here!


More about the event:

The event was limited to 300 people, which was probably too many, simply because of time constraints. While the wait was long and I'm not sure everyone got in, the slowness was for a good reason: Lil Bub's comfort and safety. Bub and her dude were stationed in a smaller gallery. They only let a few people in at a time so that it wouldn't get too crowded and overwhelming for Bub, and you were limited to one gentle pet. Bub was sitting on a blankie, and her dude was within arm's reach signing the books that were included with ticket purchase. She was very calm, but not lethargic - when an assistant waved a feather wand so she'd look at the camera for the family in front of me, she snapped to attention! I don't remember what compliments I babbled to the dude, but I told Bub she was a very good girl.

Bub poses for photos while her dude signs books.

CATS ON THE INTERNET 3

Will the Internet ever run out of cats? Answer: no. As in the oeuvre of unfairly slighted Nobel Prize in Literature nominee Haruki Murakami, cats are a constant. Centuries from now, when all life on Earth is gone except for AI, generations of computer-generated beings will rifle through ancient files of cat videos and gifs in virtual history museums, bemused by mankind's obsession with these small mammals and yet finding themselves inexplicably drawn in themselves. So here are some more kitties that have rocketed to online fame! 

CATS ON THE INTERNET 1: Maru, Meme, Winston, and Luna the Fashion Kitty

CATS ON THE INTERNET 2:  Lil' Bub, Henri, the cats of Big Cat Rescue, and Pusheen

Tardar Sauce is unimpressed.

A.K.A. Tard, Grumpy, Grumpy Cat. With her dismayed yet resigned frown, Tardar was destined to become an Internet sensation. A picture on reddit, and that destiny was reached. Like Lil' Bub, Tardar and her brother Pokey were born with deformities. But while Bub's misshapen face makes her look laid-back and optimistic about everything, Tardar's makes her look perpetually pissed. Hey, you'd be mad too if you looked like this. And, in actuality, Tardar's owner says she is quite happy, playful, and healthy despite her disabilities. Regardless, Tardar has already become a meme and a meeting and eventual odd-couple romance between her and Bub have been predicted.

Colonel Meow wants his scotch.

Continuing in the vein of scowling kitties, here we have angry-faced giant wolf-creature Colonel Meow. Impossibly fluffy and disgruntled-appearing, Colonel Meow demonstrates how myths of monsters and other bizarre cryptids get started. I mean, if you got a quick glimpse of him at night, what would you think you saw? A were-wolverine worthy of taking on the chupacabra? Fortunately, when he was found by the side of the road, the Himalayan and Persian Society was called instead of the tabloids. Nonetheless, he still ended up on Anderson Cooper's show.

Snuggle buddies Shorty and Kodi!

Dramatic Shorty and playful Kodi are two fairly normal kitties (no grumpy faces, no Maru-like special skills, no Luna the Fashion Kitty wardrobe), but they are blessed with a skilled filmographer/editor as an owner. With humor, snark, and sweetness, the pair's silly games and tender moments are captured on video. Kodi was introduced to the family recently, and while at first he and Shorty were not so pleased with each other, an epic love/abusive relationship/BDSM partnership soon flourished.

Chase contemplates where to sit next.

Chase No Face was in a terrible car accident when she was just a little stray kitten. Thanks to good Samaritans and great veterinary care, Chase survived despite losing much of her face. Her eyes will always need round-the-clock care, but looking at her blog and Facebook profile show that Chase is a normal kitty; like all cats, she loves sitting wherever she wants, taking up all the space on the bed, investigating the annual Christmas tree, and riding in her Batmobile. She also (with the help of her owner) reminds people to be kind and not judge a book by its cover.

CATS ON THE INTERNET 2!

From the catless cat lady who brought you Cats on the Internet 1, which featured superior beings Maru, Meme, Winston, and Luna. Here are four more of the excellent kitties that rule the internet:

LIL BUB!

It was hard to pick a photo of LIL BUB for this, because any photo of Bub is automatically amazing. Famously odd-looking Bub is not a tragic case of over-breeding, as many who first see her often assume. She was the sole kitten with dwarfism in a litter to a stay cat. Along with dwarfism, Bub has no teeth and some other issues. Fortunately, she found a loving home! Bub is fun and fearless, traveling Times Square like it ain't no thang for a Good Morning America segment, going for outings in the park, and working as a paleontologist. In my mind, she and Luna the Fashion Kitty would be perfect for a cat buddy comedy. Luna's all about fashion, frills, pink bows, and diva-like behavior. Bub's laid-back, gregarious, and unconcerned about peeing on herself. After some Odd Couple hijinks, they could bond over their passion for supporting animal adoption. This show can go in the time slot after the Vautrin and Javert buddy cop series.

Well, if it isn't this guy again...

Oh, le grand ennui du chat noir Henri. It is totally possible I identify way too much with Henri. Squidward is my spirit animal, after all. You think your cat is having a relaxing day, just lounging around? Pah. Not if that cat is anything like Henri. And if it is, it is a cat and can't email Henri to commiserate, leaving Henri alone in a world devoid of a kindred spirit once more.

The cats of Big Cat Rescue!

These cats are many, and big (and not so big)! Big Cat Rescue, located in Florida, provides rescued cats with large, engaging habitats and minimal human contact. It's as close to the wild as most of these cats - rescued from illegal zoos/sideshows, backyard breeding, car accidents, etc. - can get. I think my favorites are Cameron and Zabu, the lion/white tiger "married couple" rescued from a roadside zoo. Even though lions and tigers would never be together in the wild, these two were so bonded that Big Cat Rescue kept them together, giving Cameron a vasectomy so that they wouldn't breed and have "ligers." The folks at Big Cat Rescue are staunchly dedicated to giving these wild animals the best quality of life possible, as their plethora of hilarious enrichment videos shows.

Pusheen!

So here's the first cat in this epic series that is not a "real" cat. Yes, do not be fulled by the photorealistic image; Pusheen is an animated gif! And an incredibly cute one at that. Whether celebrating the Curiosity Mars rover landing or exploring uses for marshmallows, Pusheen does it adorably.

A Tale of Three Skyping Cats

I am a crazy cat lady (alas, sans cats), and hardly miss a post on Love Meow, which has introduced me to the concept of cat-Skyping. I had already gathered from Youtube videos that cats are quite the pros at iPad and smartphone games (as are frogs), but didn't realize they'd mastered this technology as well. I don't know what feline neurologists would say cats' level of understanding about webcams is, but Skype certainly seems to inspire a gamut of emotions in kitties, from love to hatred.


This kitty 1) seems to recognize his owner from the webcam, and 2) has just had his mind blown.

"That's no random collection of pixels...that's my daddy!"

Moving from shock to aw, we have this sweet ginger kitty gazing adoringly at his human daddy, who is deployed overseas. Take that, dog people with your joyous dog/soldier reunion videos!

"I wuv you, daddy."

And then there's this cat, who is offended and frankly angry that you would subject her to your stupid whims and impose on her valuable time like this.

"Good day, sir!" *turns back*

Happy Blogs

I'm calling these "happy blogs" because they're where I go when I need to cheer up or zone out for a bit. There are lots of blogs I waste time on, but some of my faves, like Passive-Aggressive Notes or STFU Parents,  can be more enraging than relaxing if you're already in a bad mood.

Tom & Lorenzo

"Precious Unborn Fawns, here is a Family Pack of Meat for you to discuss." Oh, Tom and Lorenzo, you make everything better. I'm not a "fashion girl," but when I lived at home I watched Project Runway with my mom and ended up getting addicted to Project RunGay, a blog that recapped each episode's dramas and analyzed each hastily made garment. Project RunGay was a hit, and long-time couple Tom and Lorenzo soon began covering more of the fashion and entertainment world. When I was able to recognize a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes in a music video, I knew they had ruined me forever. But hey, sometimes the day calls for gazing at pretty dresses and critiquing/laughing at the ugly ones. 

The bloggers. Makes me wish the Runway Toons!

The Comics Curmudgeon 

Did you know that there are things called newspapers? And that they feature comics that are not webcomics but comics on paper that are often questionably drawn but somehow have been continuously published for decades and decades and decades? Did you know that there's a blog about them and if you start reading it you will suddenly find yourself dependent upon Josh Fruhlinger's examinations of Rex Morgan, M.D.? It's true! While our nation's seniors find reassuring predictability in Family Circus and Marmaduke, the Comics Curmudgeon sees a repressive cult and a murderous demon hound. But it's not all malice; Fruhlinger is certainly bringing these comics to a wider audience. Before this blog, did anyone under 30 know there was a thing called Apartment 3-G featuring the world's most hardcore BAMF, Margo? 

Thank you, Josh, for bringing Margo into my life.

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

Kitten photographer extraordinaire Laurie Cinotto has been documenting her work as a foster parent for kittens for the Tacoma/Pierce County Humane Society for years. My family has fostered many kittens for the Humane Society too, but not nearly on this scale! Homeless kittens that are too little to be adopted yet are placed in foster homes so that they can get lots of socialization and love. Laurie, her husband, and their own kitty, Charlene Butterbean, raise the fluffy babies into happy, adoptable pets. With Laurie's great photographs capturing each kitten's personality, you'll fall in love with every tiny stray that passes through her home!

The Darling family is one of many litters fostered by Laurie.

Wasting Time on Youtube 3

Youtube is the worst. It's the ultimate time suck. You get stuck in a loop of "one more video" and then it's 3am and somehow via "suggested videos" you've transitioned from a link your friend posted on Facebook to the midst of the turtles-humping-pigeons subgenre you didn't know existed. That's why it's so great when you find a new favorite prolific channel - hours and hours of videos to catch up on and no ventures into that "weird part" of Youtube. 


Wasting Time on Youtube 1: Smosh, Mr. Arturo Trejo & Amigos, Kids React, Epic Rap Battles of History
Wasting Time on Youtube 2: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Cute Win Fail, California On/AsKassem, Mythicbells Persians

NigaHiga

Ryan Higa is one of the superstars of Youtube, and with his good looks, expressive face, and joyous enthusiasm, it's easy to see why. He became well known for his faux infomericals (infauxmercials?), which give him the opportunity to showcase his ShamWow-ready speed talking. He's also made some very popular music videos with Chester See, my favorite of which is this tale of bromance, which includes guest appearances and frolicking through LACMA's Urban Light.

Gatonovela

This is stupid. It's so stupid. But I can't stop watching it. Flix uses the internet's surplus of cat videos to craft short, totally unrelated scenes of a telenovela featuring cats. The drama includes the forbidden love of Ramon the lizard and Felipe the cat and the danger of the ruthless cat cartel played by Shiro and friends. Which brings us to...

Shironeko

The feline performance art troupe Shironeko & Co. They sit in things and on things and balance objects on their heads and paws. That's pretty much it. They are internet famous, especially Shiro. There's even a stuffed animal of him!

Journeyman Pictures

Okay, so you've watched Ryan Higa bouncing around and hours of cat footage, and now you'd like something serious and educational. The documentaries and documentary trailers cataloged by Journeyman Pictures are rarely fun (frequent topics include genocide, misogynistic violence, and human trafficking), but they are enlightening and compelling. And with nearly 4.5k videos posted so far, you have a lot to choose to explore.

Black Cats for Friday the 13th

Poor black kitties! Cats are already a little mysterious, and then when they're the color of night, they're associated with magic, witches, Halloween...and unluckiness. Our family has fostered lots of black kittens over the years, and they've all been sweethearts. Here are some lucky black cats for Friday the 13th!

No way you've never seen this.

On posters, notebooks, magnets...this image is ubiquitous, but for good reason. This 1896 art nouveau poster by Theophile Alexandre Steinlein advertising Le Chat Noir cabaret is striking. Looking at it, you can image you, too, are in the late-19th Century Montmartre of bohemian hangouts like the Moulin Rouge or Au Lapin Agile.

It's there, I promise. Look to the right of the naked lady. Farther...

And here's another iconic image from 19th Century Paris involving a black cat. Based on Titian's Venus of Urbino, Manet turned the "Imma paint a naked lady but it's classical or whatever so it's okay" genre on its head with 1863 masterpiece Olympia. This naked lady's a prostitute, she's not coyly inviting the male gaze, and Titian's loyal little lap dog has been replaced with a spirited cat. Critics were horrified.

Behemoth lives on in Kiev!

Behemoth is a fan favorite of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita (previously discussed here), frequently gracing covers of various editions of the novel. A demon in the form of a large black cat, Behemoth is a charming and wisecracking member of Woland's (Satan) retinue.

"Wednesday Runs" in Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

Now how can you be scared of a black kitty like this with her excited little face and pink tongue? If this cat crossed my path, I'd be scooping it up for kisses immediately! Kate Beaton is known for her hilarious history comics, but her knack for expressive characters works for kitties as well as Napoleon. It's always a treat when Wednesday shows up!

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley

Of course, if you'd like something scary on this famed day, there's Edgar Allen Poe's famous 1843 short story "The Black Cat" (full text here). There's a black cat and horror, but the monster's no feline.



Image Info:
Chat Noir poster: Wikimedia Commons
Manet's Olympia: Wikimedia Commons
Behemoth statue: Wikimedia Commons
Hark! A Vagrant Comic: Kate Beaton
Beardsley illustration: Wikimedia Commons