Birthday Bonanza

I haven't been much of a webmonkey lately, sometimes real life takes precedence, consequently my comments on other blogs have devolved into the cyber version of the "hi...howyadoingniceseeingyou" grunt in passing, and for that, I apologize, you people deserve better. Even the Image du Jour has fallen by the wayside...I know, it's pathetic. But I have excuses (lots and lots of excuses). For starters there's this guy:



Roscoe is a going concern, wanting to go outside like the big kitties, coming up on the 4 month mark and feeling 'his oats' these days, so much so that his current nickname is 'Nads Lebowski/Roscoe Testiclees'. He does get to be outside without the dreaded 'baby harness' tied to a long rope now, and he will come when he's called (in typical cat fashion, ie. when it suits him). He is a constant source of amusement, distraction and pure joy (yes, yes, I know that the same thing can be said about the interwebs).

It's also been the latter half of the month of September, and in this household that means BIRTHDAYS GALORE!!! On September 22, it was not only the equinox and a fantastic full harvest moon, but also The Max's 18th birthday (my baby...how in the world did this happen?):



(the shaved head thing?? I have no idea)

A beautiful fall day (much like the day he was born) segued into an evening of champagne and present opening:



And then onto Max's favorite meal: fondue...mmmmmmm fondue:



Three days later it was my birthday...and yes, I am officially an an antique now. Quick! Trot me on over to the Antiques Roadshow and see what I'm worth! So another evening of champagne, presents and MY favorite meal (schnitzel) ensued.



Also, The Big G spoiled me silly with this gift:


Squeeeee! I fear the Image du Jour may digress into pictures of my kittehs and Swissitudes, but I will try to restrain myself.

Because two bottles of champagne on Saturday wasn't enough, Sunday was The Big G's b-day. T'was another beautiful autumn day so we walked over to St. Barthelmy (the next village over) and put the Pentax through it's paces:







There were presents to be opened, and, of course, more champagne and then The Big G's favorite meal, steak & pomme de terre (that's my guy!):



Well fed, well fêted, we are. I must admit though, I think I've developed a taste for champagne in the evening...anyone having a birthday soon?

L'Image du Jour

Science is still pretty!
Grains of pollen come in all shapes and sizes. The large object in the centre of this image is pumpkin pollen; the tiny speck just below and to the right of it is forget-me-not pollen.

via telegraph.co.uk

Ikea Cats
Yeah, so Assbook and Twatter are fouling up the interwebs with banality, but there can never be too many kittehs! Here's a brand new ad for Ikea.

Ikea Happy Inside Cats
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Via imjustcreative

Press Leak
Too Much Information Age

Here's a great piece that pretty much sums up how I feel about 'social networking', Assbook and the overwhelming vapidity of what's happening on the interwebs these days.

Orwell That Ends Well

by Randall Amster

In just the past week, a friend lost his cellphone, and another was robbed. One fell asleep in the bathtub, and another visited her old elementary school. A number had interesting fare for dinner. Some liked the weather, others lamented it. One notable presence in particular diligently posted her whereabouts at all times. Pretty typical stuff actually, and almost none of it interesting in the least.

This isn't the Information Age - it's the Too Much Information Age. Everyone is posting their diaries, dalliances, likes, and longings because they have an audience of "friends" who border on being voyeurs. Disconcertingly, there's no compulsion to participate in this apart from peer pressure, which is apparently a powerful motivator even well beyond one's high school years.

And this is precisely the genius of the Self-Surveilling Society in which we find ourselves: it taps into the psychology of our teen years (to know and be known) and exports it to the world writ large. In this lexicon, your friends become (as in high school) your style-setters, sounding boards, commiserators, gossip sources, reality checkers, and existential validators. If you do something and don't share it, did it really happen?

Read the rest of " Orwell That Ends Well" here.

Short Cuts



This is funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Remember your three R's people...reuse,renew,and recycle!