Amber & Time-Lapse Photography

Monday, 11:54 am EST:

Monday, 1:22 pm:

Tuesday, 11:17 AM:

Boys.

Amber & FAQ

Q. Do the boys still snuggle?

A.  Yes.

P.S. Ginger's haunches are a little damp there from laying in the tub after my shower to absorb warmth.

Amber & Diversity and Ancestry

Kevin and I were talking today about species diversity.  You know: horse, pony, mule, donkey, zebra.  And maybe Przewalski's Horse.

And that made us think of Homonids.  And how there used to be so many more of us: Humans, Neanderthals, Homo Florensis.  And now we are all alone.

And that made me think back to when Neanderthals had pets.  You remember the part in The Inheritors where Fa and Lok are petting their pet pint-size Eodromaeus?

A little known fact about the Eodromaeus is that its full name is the Homo Bigtiggula, which is actually--and you can totally tell by looking at it--one of Tiggy Winkle's ancient ancestors.

See her there?  Walking in the footsteps of her wild, woodland ancestors?  Or, see the similarity here?

Science and history.

Amber & Comforter Chameleon

Woody has many, many super powers, but among them is his ability to match duvet covers with amazing and handsome ease.

See for example how his ears and points and nose took on a pink glow when we lived in Madison and had a pink duvet?

Could it possibly be the same cat who looks downright tan against the back drop of our new duvet and comforter, a wonderful and much used gift from my mom and dad?

Without those gorgeous blue eyes, he would be invisible.

Amber & Good Ridiculous vs. Bad Ridiculous

What incredibly ridiculous reason could make me go out in the middle of a blizzard to see my doctor, 150 blocks away?

 

Face shingles.

If it crosses that line, I need to have my doctor paged.  Eye danger!

Ridiculous.  But here's some ridiculous in a good way for balance.

Eyeballs of both kinds of ridiculous, herewith.

Amber & What Dreams Are Made Of

So, I am still sickie and was sort of feverish last night and had this dream where I was with a group of friends and we were traveling on some islands off the coast of India in long boats and a lion (my subconscious is not geographically accurate) came out of the jungle and we were trying to hold still and then the lion came up from behind and stood up on his back legs and started taking small bites out of my neck but I was trying to hold super still so he would leave.

I wonder where that came from.

 

Amber & No Alarms and No Surprises

I am still feeling very positively about 2011, despite some threats to burst my optimistic bubble.  The largest threatening pin popper was a disastrous rug thing that happened to a friend involving a dog with digestive problems.  Something like that can really set a tone, you know, even if it doesn't happen to you directly?  But, it can also result in the aquisition of new appliances, which is a shiny silver lining if ever there was one.

But, I'm still a bit shaken that my friends at Apple also have attempted to break my new year stride by failing to wake me up at the desired time for three days running.  (You will recall my regular alarm clock is ILL.)  Now, the first day, I thought I had managed to sleep through my only (accidentally) purchased ring tone.  It is sort of soothing, and I have been known to sleep through even greater challenges.  And the second day, I thought my phone was broken.  But last night, I discovered this article in the New York Times which pointed the finger of blame on some kind of very belated Y2K issue.  And Nick sent this confirmation that the phone should have worked today.

Well, it didn't.

But unlike the folks who wrote in to the Times to complain about missing flights, jobs, morning talk shows, etc., I had set a back up in the form of...

(Photo by Jimmy)

Woody.

Not surprisingly, that one worked like a charm.  Very reliable, that guy.

Amber & New Year, New Waffles

2011 is already off to a fabulous start.  Yesterday, there was plenty of petting kitties, then La Palapa brunch with friends, and then cider at DBA.  And, there was the acquisition of what may prove to be the most life-changing piece of technology introduced to my household since the Swiffer Sweeper:

a waffle iron.

Making waffles is a process, and it will take several batches before I get them toasty enough and spread all the way to the edges.  But, that's reinforcement of key life lessons.  Everything is a process.  We are constantly changing.... and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

And, just like life, investment in your foundations can reap buoyant, soul-lifting rewards: you can make lots of waffles in advance and freeze them and then enjoy them for quick toaster breakfasts during the work week.

2011, I already love you.

Amber & Action Shot

Ginger, grooming my hair.

 

Also pictured: my Hello Kitty pjs, sickie me, and bed head.

Amber & Blizzard

So, I am sick.  I was so sick on Christmas Eve, my mom and dad had to drive me back because I couldn't have taken the train.  While I am here, stuck in bed, under my cozy new comforter (another thanks to mom and dad) eating coconut balls (thanks to Auntie Carol) and surrounded by cats (thanks to Woody, Tiggy, Ginger and Pickles), this is what is happening outside.

 

Danger! Decorations!

Some days, you are glad to be in bed.

Amber & Multitasking

How do I do it, you ask?

Work full time for Mother Goose Inc. (and pretty darn well if my department's contribution to the bottom line is any evidence)?

Stay in touch with both my friends and pop culture (my BFF)?

Maintain compelling web content meant to maximize audience engagement on this blog, a go-to source for serious journalism on topics as broad reaching as Hat Hair, Kitties, and Television?

And, all the while, manage to kick the behind of my own Sudoku score?

I have an amazing muse, darling reader.

Muses, even.

Amber & Two Things Kitties Love That Are Hard to Photodocument

1.  Woody loves spooning under the covers.  See him?  He's curled up against me on his side under the blankets which my arm in the foreground is holding up?

(I love it super super much too.  He is so warm!  And he purrs the whole time.  So do I!)

2.  Ginger loves arugula.

(That's hard to document because his eating technique involves biting onto the leaf and then shaking his head to rip off a bite-sized portion.)

Amber & Back In The Day

A often forgotten fact about me is that, for a brief time, before I left the island (only to come back in season 6 because, well, life was better for all of us on the island, even with the smoke monsters and ridiculously crowded 1 trains) I lived uptown.

My LaSalle Street apartment was lovely and significantly less expensive than Avenue B.

There was a large, lovely kitchen.

There were lovely French doors to the bedroom which was a totally different room than the living room, unlike Avenue B.

And there was a lovely claw-foot tub in which I took many, many bubble baths...
 

...and sometimes, kitties took naps under.

 

And then there was the "second bedroom."  Now, by most standards this was a closet.

True, a closet big enough to fit a computer desk, but it was a closet.  The rods for hanging outfits and the shelves gave it away, as did the fact that it was too small for either a couch (living room) or a bed (bedroom).  But the real estate lady insisted it was a bedroom.  When I pointed out it was too small for a bed, she explained, "You can put your baby in it."  And that, I certainly could have.

One not-forgotten-about thing about living on LaSalle Street (other than the fact that real estate agents lie like sound-absorbing rugs in rent-controlled closets that you can put your baby in) was that it was super close to Dinosaur BBQ.  They've recently moved across the street (to a new site which seats 30 more hungry clients and will have outdoor seating in better weather) and are now in that weird area under the bridge on 125 near Fairway (don't even get me started on how awesome having Fairway as my main grocery store was--except for the walk back up the Tiemann Place hill carrying way too many impulse purchases).

Dinosaur is definitely a place I would take visitors who craved ribs.  I can't tell you if the brisket is any good because I just get sucked in by the ribs every time.  The sides are awesome, too.  I love the sauteed greens (which are vegetarian, vegetarian people!) and the mac & cheese and the Syracuse Salt Potatoes.  And they have a super beer menu.  And it is festive; there is a painting of pigs, a steer, a goat and some dinosaurs playing cards!  (That seems like the very definition of festive.)

And did I mention the ribs?

Sigh.  I miss living way down on 125th.  James took this great photo of me at Dinosaur once, and you can tell I am super happy (even though I lived in Wisconsin at the time and am probably just happy to be in NYC).

He also took this one of CRD, but CRD looks more pirate than happy.

Happiness means different things to different people.

Amber & Black-Eyed Ambers

Also, why do I have black eyes today?  Not the usual black circles under the eyes (I know why I get those), but really dark circles around my eyes, specifically darkest on the bridge of my nose?

They're even darker than they look there--the Photobooth flash really washes them out.

Possible theory:

Amber & I Heart Him

Some days, I spend the whole day just waiting to get home, scoop Woody up in my arms, bury my face in his neck and sniff.

(Photo by James)

He smells of afternoon naps, oatmeal and enchantment.  At least that was the scent I got from him this morning.  He always smells like love.

Amber & 3 A.M.

Why is it that, lately, my cats are so completely awake and mewingly insistent that I, too, start my day at 3 a.m.?

Could it be the afternoon naps they take on the sofa?

Or the fact that some  of them never seem to leave the red donut all day long?

Or perhaps some of them spend the day conserving their mews for the witching, pre-dawn hours?

It's a plot, I tell you.  And thanks to Nick for running daytime recon on their activities.

Amber & Pusses Galore

There may not be any real kitties here, but there are alot of symbolic kitties in Boston.  For example, the record shop might have a display of all cat-themed albums.

 

Or, if you go for ramen, the hot pepper spicy stuff might be inside a kitty.

 

Or, maybe on the wall there might be a chart of different CAT EMOTIONS behind you.

(Temple Grandin sure never addressed MY GOD EMOTION in her book.  But I have sure seen that on Tiggy's face when her brothers get too close.)

Boston is nice, but I still would rather have real cats.  My own real cats.  Maybe next time they can come with me.

Amber & Ridonkulous, Defined

I mean, sweetums, did you have to put the paw on the edge of the donut like you were posing for your holiday portrait at Bradlee's?  And do your eyes have to be so big and surprised-looking?  And what about those crazy eyebrow whiskers?

I mean, really?

Luff.

Amber & Tiggy Pooja

It's that time of year again (or, really, the first time since this is the first ever observance) to honor and devote ourselves to the grace and majesty of the Ultimate Dainty Paw with Tiggy Pooja.

There are so many fantastic stories about Tiggy to be retold on her special day.  We can remember the harrowing tale of how Tiggy did battle with the metallic silver thread, protecting our household from really bad fashion choices.  And then there is the tale about how gravity has no effect on Tiggy and so she grew to be the size of a mountain once to protect us during our journey through the dark, cold lands of Wisconsin.  (For much of that journey we actually rode on Tiggy's back, or at least I rested my head on it.)

She was so big then!  But she also has the power to be as small as a mouse-- almost invisible if the challenge (the vacuum cleaner) calls for it.

Tiggy knows not every battle needs to be fought.  Sometimes, when your brother wants to chew on your butt, you are better off just going in the other room.  It's the lesson of Tiggy's non-violence.

Also, for Tiggy Pooja, we listen to alot of David Bowie because, in certain lights, Tiggy, too, knows the magic of the green and blue eyes.

For Tiggy Pooja, we spend most of the day (except the laundry offering) at home.  Tiggy frequently reminds us that the home is where her heart is.  How badly do we  really need to leave the house?  With our bag?

Tiggy is small, but full of love.  She likes her chest rubs in the morning, she likes to sit on the toilet to make sure I am surviving the horrors of the shower, and she often purrs just being next to me.  I love her, and I am thankful for the chance to honor her on her special kitty holiday.