Noble eats grass

This is a video in a blog posting, but don’t get the idea that this is a “video blog” now. I see little point in posting a video solely of me talking to the camera, because that is what text is for. So when I want to say something, I’ll use text. And when I want you to see something, I’ll post a photo. And if I want to show something, then I’ll post a video. There’s no reason I have to stick to only one!

This posting is a bit torrent, the file is 16MB. You can read this enclosure with PenguinTV for linux, FireANT for Windows, and DTV for Mac. It’s an AVI with the Xvid codec, so the video will probably play on a Mac with VLC. On windows you should already have the defilerpak codec collection because you download xvid-formatted movies all the time. On linux it just works with totem, xine, mplayer, whatever.

Taco Kitty

When Char and I first got Sigmund, I ran around like a giddy parent telling everyone about our new little guy. One of my coworkers at MIT also has a cat or two, and so of course
we gabbed about utterly inane cute things cats do. She mentioned that she had an old cat bed that her current cats don’t use, and she said I could have it. I accepted, and we added it to the pile of things we hoped Sigmund would use. You can see it in this old entry. Sigmund did lie in it if you plopped him there, but he didn’t really go there on his own. We tended to put it in places he was going anyway to increase the chance that he’d learn to like the bed.

Char discovered that if you lift the bed up by the sides, Sigmund doesn’t move at all, and you can carry him whereever you want. Because of his weight, the sides fold up, and it looks like you have made a giant Sigmund taco. So char dubbed the bed The Taco.

As the months went by, Sigmund basically stopped using the bed. Like the hub, he just stopped using it after a while. But that’s how cats (and I assume children) are — you get them stuff and hope
they like it. Sometimes you hit (fishing poles!) and sometimes you miss (hub). I had chalked up the cat bed to one of those misses, perhaps because he didn’t like going for rides,
although I still left it around for the heck of it.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I caught Sigmund daintly testing out the cat bed last week. He put a paw or two inside, and then moved the rest of his (now fat) butt into the bed. He was still standing up in it, which looked pretty silly. After a minute or two of standing, checking for whatever cats check for, he gave it his approval. He plopped down, and napped.

Now he can be found in the bed from time to time, looking around or sleeping. This is of course terminally cute, and requiring of a photograph.

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taco kitty

Grab bag

Char loves candy, so whenever we see candy-themed grafitti she jumps with joy. One might think grafitti wouldn’t cover the candy issue, but in fact we see it a lot. One even commands us to “eat candy.” Don’t mind if I do!

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mmm candy

Sigmund seems to come out only when people aren’t around. So the best time to catch him is in the mornings, when he is usually lounging on the couch. That’s where I found him today. gotcha!

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Lounging on the couch

MEOW!!!!

Last night, Char and I were getting ready for bed as usual. Char left the room to get something, and noticed Sigmund in the hallway. Our silent little critter has been getting more brave, and it’s more common to see him around the apartment at night. When you come across him, he usually freezes in place with an incredibly guilty expression on his face. Once you make a move he’ll run off.

So Char found Sigmund standing at one end of the hallway, and she called out to him: “Hello Sigmund!” I was lying in bed, and from down the hallway I heard the plaintive reply: “meww?” Parents probably get choked up over their baby’s first word’s, and although I wasn’t especially surprised what he sounded like, the fact that any noise aside from a purr came out of his mouth filled me with parternal joy.

Here’s hoping he doesn’t start yowling into the night.

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This is an unrelated cute kitty picture

A program note: I’ve reduced the number of image sizes, because four is frankly too many. The three new sizes should be enough for everyone.

More cat pictures

Char and I went to petco last night to get some more litter and some cat food, and saw the couple who adopted Sigmund to us. She assured us we were doing fine, and she added she had seen some of his photos on this site. I promised I would put up some more, so here they are.

Sigmund isn’t big on being out from under things, so we have to wrench him out, clawing all the way. But, once out, he calms down.

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Are you lookin’ at my bum? bum looker.