tomorrow

December 8, 2001

Today's Reading
Birds of Siberia by Henry Seebohm

This Year's Reading
2001 Book List

Photos

Cruiser

Dalton

Mia

Mynee

Samantha I

Samantha II

Obviously, I have not yet given up photography. Somebody has to get these cats onto the web site. Maybe this doesn't really count as photography because it's not intended to be "art" or as we say here in the nawtheast "aht". Maybe I can just swear off photographing family gatherings since I've been slacking on the "Hi Bob" photos lately anyway.

Seamus came back but doesn't seem to be bothering Sandy this time. And there are hordes of new cats particularly ones named Samantha. Please spay/neuter your pet. So the other night at the Bridge Review web site launch/reading there was a question/comment session after the readings and I was seized with a huge desire to grab the microphone just to say "Please spay/neuter your pets." It was a strong urge but I resisted as the upper left hand corner of my brain reminded me it would be sort of inappropriate at a literary gathering. Must keep straight my intersections with the poetry, cat, and piping plover scenes. Anyway, I guess I had unwanted sick kittens on the brain and wanted to let people know how much suffering they cause by letting kitty have just one litter so she knows what it feels like to be a mother or whatever excuse they use for propagating kittens they have no intention of keeping or caring for properly. End soap box.

So today I found out the secret of how the professional press photographer gets so much better photos of our cats (besides having a 3 megapixel camera compared to my 640x480). He has an assistant! I knew this required two people! The assistant (his wife in this case) entertains the cats with one of those cat toys dangling from a string while he watches for the good shot. He's not trying to keep them from jumping on him or getting out of their cages before they've been tested and vaccinated. He's only composing good pictures. Me? I'm relating to the cats and trying to take their portraits at the same time. Now if I could just get an assistant to distract my family with a dangling cat toy at family gatherings, I'll be all set. Well, that and one of the new 6.1 megapixel cameras.

The sky looks like snow, which fits with the weather forecast for this afternoon and tomorrow. Depending on which radio station I listen to and which half hour I tune in the snow is supposed to start either late this afternoon or late tonight and to accumulate from 1 to 3 inches or 4 to 7 inches. It's been so warm lately I've forgotten that it's winter and that Christmas is coming very soon. So alarmingly soon that downtown Newburyport is filled with Christmas shoppers and I can't find a place to park to get a cup of coffee at Fowle's. I have a hard time believing that tomorrow will be snowy or that Christmas shopping is even in order. Isn't it still October? Wouldn't I be early if I started Christmas shopping today?

Tomorrow will be soon enough.

And here are the two aforementioned Samanthas who couldn't look less alike.