Stacy Horn

Okay, it’s not the greatest cat film in the world, but there’s some really cute cat meows in it. And purring. And I sing at the end (talk-sing style).

You’ll see a bunch of ping pong balls on the coffee cable. I keep these handy to throw to Bleeck when necessary. When necessary: he’s biting my feet or hands or face, or—I kid you not—the top of my head, or he’s doing the same to Finney, or he’s doing the Indie 500 up and down the couch while I’m watching tv, sometimes missing a turn and flying off into the kitchen. At which point he comes charging back and jumps up onto my stomach, then back to the floor, then back up onto my stomach again, over and over. This is to show me that that whole missing the turn thing was just a fluke, he’s actually a tremendous athlete. Just look at this jump control!

Still puttering. Among other things, I’m catching up on my reading. Here’s a short article about a pigeon who died while trying to deliver a message during WWII. So far, cryptographers today have been unable to decode it. Of course I am focused on the long dead pigeon. Poor little guy. I wonder if they have tried contacting the pigeoneers, the WWII unit responsible for the carrier pigeons. Oh except they were from WWI? There must have been an equivalent unit during WWII as well, though. In any case, I’m sure one of the pigeon handlers have reached out to them by now.

Then there’s this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the tech used to help elect President Obama. I just started this one, but so far it’s one of those fun page-turners articles that is not only a great read but you also feel like you’re learning something.

Aaaannnnnd, I want this Golden Book about space travel.

I held my camera over my head in Union Square on Black Friday and took a couple of shots. The crowd was too daunting so I didn’t go in there, even though I enjoy just looking at all the stuff in the booths. (It’s a holiday-mart set-up.)

I just went out briefly for supplies, otherwise I’ve been staying in, puttering, with the Hallmark Channel on in the background. My neighborhood is pretty quiet. I didn’t walk down Bleecker, which might have some shoppers. I was on Hudson Street, where Christmas tree stands are going up …

… one of the restaurants set up this very appealing table. Except, I think the idea is to sit outside with your cider, all bundled up and cosy. Nice in theory, but I don’t know how that that would work out in practice. Damnit. I should have gotten a cider to go. Because now I am craving hot apple cider. And cider donuts. Yeah … cancel the cider, bring on the donuts.

When Hurricane Sandy hit I quickly learned that reading by candlelight is impossible, and annoying by flashlight. So I ordered the Coleman 3AA High-Tech LED Mini Lantern because someone on Echo wisely advised getting a lantern that took AA batteries rather than D batteries, which are harder to find in an emergency. Unfortunately, when it arrived and I tried it out it just didn’t feel bright enough. Also, it said the 3 AA batteries it takes will last six hours, which isn’t very much.

So I returned it and ordered the Rayovac Sportsman LED Lantern. It takes D batteries, but it also says it will last 40 to 90 hours depending on the setting and it’s 240 lumens at the highest setting vs 85 lumens for the other one at it’s highest setting.

This one is definitely much brighter than the other lamp, and much better for overall room lighting and also for reading, so I’m keeping it. That said, the light is harsh, and you have to position it just right to hit the pages of your book. Maybe the headlamp suggestion a friend gave me is the best.

Another reason for battery operated lighting: Bleeck jumped up to check out the candle and singed his whiskers. This is not the best shot, but if you look, the whiskers over his right eye are shortened. Since this picture was taken they’ve fallen out. They will grow back, right??

“I believe now more than ever that singing is a universal, built-in mechanism designed to cultivate empathy and compassion.” -Eric Whitacre, November 20th tweet. I believe that too, Eric Whitacre. My first thought when I saw that was, “Damnit. Why didn’t I say that first?? Now Eric Whitacre is going to get all the credit. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.”

This is Bleeck’s ‘should I bite you now or continue to rest in this window’ look.