cat goddess

On 27 May, I wrote about Catwoman, who is a comic character. Catwoman is depicted as human, and not as a human with the head of a cat like the Egyptian goddess Bastet.

The goddess Bastet was the daughter of the sun god Ra (or Re). She was the goddess of fire, cats (natürlich), of the home und pregnant women.



You can read more about Bastet from Ancient Egypt: the Mythology.

Cats were sacred animals in ancient Egypt. We should continue to be revered.

*Thank you for all the treats. Thank you Scooter for my third Rosette, you are very kind.

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I did the same thing again today. Guess what it was? Yep, I napped on the couch to the radio. I think my human should change the station soon, to ABC Radio National, so I can listen to some intellectual topics and discussions for a change.

My human came home tonight soaked as he walked home in the rain. What a silly human! I meowed, "look what the cat dragged in?" Seriously, what if he caught pnmeownomia and died? Who then would feed me and cuddle me to keep me warm?

keisercat@wildmail.com

a mini-sun in France

One of the biggest news stories on earth has happened, which deals with the future energy needs of our planet, and it is not even front page news.

It was announced in Moscow by a consortium of countries that the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) will be built in France. This news is bigger than Ben Hur. Much much bigger. Huge! Ginormous!


Cadarache construction site


Labelled view of diagnostics

You can read more about it in BBC News' article - France gets nuclear fusion plant.

BBC News also provides details of how it will work - More details: Iter - The next generation fusion reactor.

BBC News is such a great site. You don't get all these pop ups which are prevalent in conventional newspaper sites.

This fusion reactor has nothing to do with Cold Fusion which I've disparaged in a previous diary entry.

Official site - ITER

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What happened today? Same as yesterday. Always the same until the weekend. I had a chicken wing for dinner from the fresh supply from the markets. My human tricked me though and gave me my dinner while he watched a Dr Who re-run. Later he cooked a thick rump steak for himself and did not give me any. Not happy Jan!

keisercat@wildmail.com

4293 is not a perfect number

For the last couple of days, the count on views/hits to my Catster page was 4293. I am glad that it has been fixed now.

4293 is not much of a special number. It is divisible by 3 at least.

Now if it had been 8128, it would have been a perfect number.

8128 can be divided by 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 127, 254, 508, 1016, 2032 and 4064.

If you add up all those numbers thus:
1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 + 64 + 127 + 254 + 508 + 1016 + 2032 + 4064
it equals = 8128

That is pretty cool. But is is only the fourth in the series. The first three are 6, 28 and 496.

You can read more about perfect numbers from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews, Scotland (where Prince William studied for his degree).

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Today was so so. I napped to ABC Classic FM which had a great long segment of Mozart pieces from 1pm to 1.45pm. Don Giovanni - Overture; String Quartet No 4 in C, K157; Nocturnes - If you are far away, my love, K438 and Behold the dread moment, K436; Clarinet Concerto in A, K622; The Magic Flute - A sweetheart or a wife; and Serenade No 5 in D, K204. Fantastic.

I had cooked chicken for dinner as it is Tuesday - the usual poached thigh fillet pieces. I wonder if I will get red meat again?

keisercat@wildmail.com

shopping at Hermes

If I turned up at the Hermes store in Paris and they were closed, I am sure I would not be able to get in either, even though I am just a cat. At least I have good taste.

Neither would my human, whose tastes are okay, but sometimes questionable.

On the other paw, Oprah is rich and famous. That should have made a difference. Don't the French watch Oprah on tv?

Probably not. I wouldn't either if I was French and lived in France, as there are wonderful French programs on tv, especially the very intellectual Arte channel.

Sometimes wealth and fame still won't get you in the door when a shop is shut.

Anyway, my human loves the ties from Hermes.





(I told him that his taste in ties is too conservative)

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Monday again. I was left alone during the day. It was cold. I napped. But tonight is Desperate Housewives which also means a big long brush of my fur.

keisercat@wildmail.com

the bicycle

Why would a cat ride a bicycle? What a stupid notion! Some circuses have bears riding bicycles; also stupid!

Anyway, an early version of the bicycle was patented on 26 June 1819 in the US for a 'velocipede'. But a fire destroyed patent records a number of years later.

You can read more about it here.

A very famous saying about bicycle is A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. This term was a slogan during the seventies feminist movement (a very interesting period in social history). The term was coined by Irina Dunn, who later became an Australian Senator for the Nuclear Disarmament Party. She is now the Executive Director of the NSW Writers' Centre.

And you thought I was going to write about a very boring transportation contraption!

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I spent a great deal of the day on the couch, at times with my human when he was watching more episodes of Arrested Development.

Today started off sunny, but it was still a cold day, and then the drizzly rain came. My human got up a little earlier today, at 10am! He will have to do much better than that tomorrow (back to work).

Tonight Lily and Jimmy's humans Brian and Jackie came over to dinner. Lily and Jimmy still don't have Catster pages yet, but when they do, they will be linked as my friends.

Anyway, they had slow cooked lamb shanks, served with mash potato and sweet potato, and blanched broccoli. This was followed by slow baked quinces in sugar syrup served with homemade custard. My human should have taken the bowl off the heat when it started thickening, as some of it cooked.

It was fun to have company. I went straight to their laps as soon as they arrived. But later, I sat on my human. Better go and check to see if my human is ironing now.

keisercat@wildmail.com

1987 - a very important Presidential proclamation

On 25 June 1987, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the day as National Catfish Day. It was one of the most important achievements of his administration, apart from nearly bankrupting the US with his Star Wars project (although this eventually resulted in the falling of communism in eastern Europe).

You can read the text here - Proclamation 5672 -- National Catfish Day, 1987.

Yadda yadda yadda... blah blah blah...

What about an official Presidentially proclaimed or United Nations observed National Cat Day?

Are catfish more important than us cats? Would a catfish cuddle up on a human's lap or in bed? Perish the thought!

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Saturday is so much better than Friday. My breakfast was late as my human did not get up until 11am! (He can be excused because he is recovering from the flu or some virus). And he did just about nothing all day, except sit with me on the couch to watch episodes of Arrested Development.

I managed to go outside to chew on some grass while he hung out the washing, but even though the sun came out for a short time, it started drizzling rain again, so the washing didn't dry (he should have got up earlier!).

I want to thank Hugo (from KL) for my first Rosette. I hope you are feeling better soon and you recover soon from your operation.

I also want to thank Vieno (from Helsinki) for my second Rosette. I was very touched by what you wrote. I hope you are enjoying the nice longer summer and had a good Midsummers day.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Atomic Kitten

What? Someone turned a kitten into something radioactive and explosive?

Only kidding. Atomic Kitten is a pop group from the UK.

Actually I don't really like them. They sound really annoying. But I thought I'd mention another music group which honours us cats in their name.

If you want to find out more and have flash, you can check out their website
www.atomickitten.co.uk

Just as well, I have better taste in music.

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I was left home alone today, but the sun came out, even if it was still a cold day. The weekend is just about here, so I get another two days of the lap!

My human told me he got a real bargain on the boxed set of the entire first season of Arrested Development for $19.98 so we'll be watching some this weekend. It was on tv a bit late here and the two or three episodes my human caught, he thought was kinda funny. You need a particular sense of humour to endure it! A bit like Mr Bean. I would have preferred Malcolm in the Middle.



keisercat@wildmail.com

Whales - part 2

A month ago, I stood on my soapbox with all my paws to write about whales.

Since then, the International Whaling Commission has met in Ulsan, Republic of Korea.

Thankfully, the agenda of the Japanese Government fell short of their expectations and the commonsense of most members prevailed.

That said, we should address the claims of the Japanese Government, purporting to support their right to kill whales. This is what the Japanese Government said in their press kit under the guise of the Institute for Cetacean Research for the IWC meeting:
The total protection of all whales irrespective of their stock status as promoted by some members of the IWC and some environmental and animal welfare organizations is contradictory to Japanese cultural values where whales are viewed as a food resource and where whales are still revered through religious ceremonies and festivals. This is particularly so for those communities where the local peoples lives have depended on whaling activities.

I trawled through the press and only found one article in support of Japan's position - see Japan Times article - by Melanie Burton. Ms Burton provides very lame arguments in support of the Japanese government's position, one particularly spurious one on environmental grounds - the production of animal protein (beef cattle production vs whale meat).

I didn't engage in the cultural rights argument last time I wrote about this, but I will now.

Going back to the 'we've done this for thousands of years' argument, just because something was done a thousand years ago, or indeed twenty years ago, does NOT make it right. There were many cultures which engaged in cannibalism, some even recently, but that does not make it a cultural right or culturally acceptable.

Whales, just like Antarctica, do NOT belong to a single nation, for them to do as they wish.

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My human stayed home today with me. He's still unwell, but seems to be a little better. I napped on his lap most of the day (except when he got up), and at one stage we both had an afternoon nap. So nice, I wish he could do this everyday. Today was also a cold, wet and miserable day as well.

keisercat@wildmail.com

The Office: why British comedies should not be remade in America...

American imitations, err adaptations, of British comedies just don't work. There is a cultural basis for humour.

It would be a better idea to just screen the original British series. If the humour doesn't work on American viewers, then there is little point in making an American version.

Take The Office for example. Some of the script is just about copied from the original. What was the point?

- The Office - BBC (original version)
- The Office - NBC (a pale imitation)

American adaptations of One Foot in the Grave, Fawlty Towers, etc have flopped in the past. I just had an awful thought - what if Monty Python had been "Americanized"?

Anyway, and likewise, there are many excellent American comedies. Imagine if the British made a local version of Seinfeld! What would be the point? The nuances would all be lost.

It is time that the American television networks allowed American television viewers to mature, and screen British comedies in their originality. Who knows, they may not even need canned laughter and can decide for themselves what is funny.

Here is a list of some of the British comedies that appeals to my human (although I do get startled when he laughs while I am napping on his lap!):

• Yes Minister
  
• Vicar of Dibley
  
• Absolutely Fabulous
  
• Keeping Up Appearances
  
• Allo Allo
  
• My Family
  
• One Foot in the Grave
  
• Birds of a Feather
  
• Brittas Empire
  
• Red Dwarf
  
• Gimme Gimme Gimme

As for Australian comedies, there are very few sitcoms (we tend to have shows that do skits to parady people and situations), and we import a lot of British and American sitcoms anyway. But there have been a few good ones such as Mother and Son (1984-1994), House Rules (1988) and Kath and Kim.

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I was dreaming away to wonderful music today, in particular Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, when my human came home. He must have been feeling unwell and decided not to stay at work today.

Good for me. I had his lap for just about the whole day. I did try and get him to stay home with me originally by trying to get him to play with me with my plastic rings. I am a good human owner!

keisercat@wildmail.com

The winter solstice

Today was the shortest day of the year in Australia, and the longest in the northern hemisphere.

The shortest and longest days of the year are called solstices. In Canberra where I live, the sun rose at 7:12am and set at 4:58pm. That was just nine hours and 46 minutes of daylight. It is even less further south.

In six months time, on 21 December, this will change to over 14 hours.

21 March and 21 September are the equinoxes, when there are 12 hours per day and night all over the world.

Solstices, and seasons, occur because Earth is tilted 23 degrees. In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun and the northern hemisphere tilted towards the sun. The reverse occurs in December. In March and September, the hemispheres are not tilted towards the Sun, but right angles to it.

This tilt results in the sun rising later and setting earlier in winter, hence less daylight. The sun also tracks a lower course through the sky, so its rays hit Australia at an oblique angle. These in turn results in winter being colder.

Even as the days start getting longer from now on, the weather will still get colder as winter is not just due to less sunlight. Heat retention and weather patterns are also other factors.

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My human stayed home with me today. He phoned work in the morning and then went back to bed where I returned after my breakfast to keep him warm. So he wasn't feeling too well then. It was also a cold and wet day.

He got up after midday again, and I tricked him into giving me another little breakfast by carrying on a bit in the kitchen. He was going to go back to bed, but I convinced him to lounge around with me on the couch. After all, we wouldn't want to ruin his night time sleep and stay awake all night.

Anyway, I had cooked chicken for dinner tonight which was good.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Offenbach, Munch...

I was going to write about Jacques Offenbach because today is his birthday (born 20 June 1819, died 4 October 1880), in particular his operetta Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), and the many dance pieces in it, in particular the can-can. But I won't.

Today, I heard on the radio that the Munch Museum in Oslo has reopened after the recovery of The Scream. This is what Edvard Munch wrote in relation to this painting:

I was walking along a path with two friends
the sun was setting
I felt a breath of melancholy
Suddenly the sky turned blood-red
I stopped and leant against the railing,
deathly tired
looking out across flaming clouds that hung
like - blood and a sword over the
deep blue fjord and town
My friends walked on -
I stood there trembling with anxiety
And I felt a great, infinite scream pass
through nature.

Isn't that cool?


Munch's The Scream

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I was left home alone again. It must be Monday. I spent some time on my day bed trying to keep warm. Today was another miserable cold day. But it means Desperate Housewives and a long brush of my fur.

After I wrote my diary last night, I found my human doing ironing in the living room, so he put on Roman Holiday for us to watch. It was a William Wyler 1953 black and white movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Over fifty years old, it is still one of the all time classics. Audrey Hepburn won an Oscar for best actress in her first major movie role. And deservedly so.



We also spotted one cat in the whole movie. Strange as the Colliseum is home to many street cats (as my human tells me).

keisercat@wildmail.com

Garfield

I have been trying very hard to avoid writing about the cartoon cat Garfield.

Not because he isn't real, but even as a fictitious cat, he does not resemble most of us. Instead, Garfield more resembles humans, greedy and lazy ones!

Anyway, today is Garfield's 27th birthday. No doubt he will stuff his face with cakes as usual...



www.garfield.com

Football - round 13 (a split round, so my team doesn't play next weekend). The big cats (Lions) turn the cats (Cats) into pussies! On home ground too.

BRISBANE LIONS: 4.3, 8.10, 14.12, 17.14 (116)
GEELONG CATS: 3.2, 4.4, 5.8, 6.11 (47)
GOALS – Brisbane Lions: Akermanis 5, Brown 4, Corrie 2, Selwood, McGrath, Power, Johnson, Black, Adcock Geelong: Kingsley 2, Chapman, Haynes, Corey, Harley
BEST – Brisbane Lions: Akermanis, Brown, Black, Power, Johnson, Leppitsch, Notting Geelong: Corey, Kelly, Milburn, Riccardi, Ling
INJURIES – Brisbane Lions: Adcock (dislocated finger), Copeland (elbow) Geelong: Chapman (knee)
CHANGES – Geelong: King (calf) and Mackie replaced in selected side by Lonergan and Rahilly
UMPIRES - McBurney, Kamolins, Avon
CROWD - 31,307 at the Gabba

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It was wet and cold for most of today, so I was on the couch most of the day. From time to time, my human joined me and I moved to his lap. We watched the football game on tv today (see above). We also watched Joyride (alternatively called Roadkill in Australia) on DVD. It was scarey!

I forgot to mention yesterday that my human had another chat to that horse (mini pony) called Buck who lives a block and a half away. It was better than him talking to a dog I guess! I don't think I would like to talk to a horse, unless of course it is Mr Ed!

keisercat@wildmail.com

Cat Island

I previously wrote about Cat Empire, which isn't an empire but a music band, and Cat City, which does exist, but locally named Kuching in Malaysia.

I thought I would mention Cat Island which also exists.



It would nice if I was to talk about a paradise for cats on a tropical island. But no, Cat Island is one of the islands in the Bahamas.

Its name has nothing to do with us felines (unlike Cat City/Kuching). In fact, it may have been named after the pirate Arthur Catt.



Whatever the history of the name, it still looks like a very nice place for a vacation.

www.bahamas.com

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Well, I managed to go outside this morning while the washing was hung out on the line, and nibble on some grass, but it was still cold. Unusually today, I also got an extra meal in the middle of the day. It was a lamb bone and it was almost fun trying to get the rest of the meat off. But I don't think we have dog teeth and the patience - give me bite sized pieces any day!

I did spend some time on the couch with my human today.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Milly is fine!

Back on the 8th of May I wrote about some of the neighbourhood cats.

I was happy to learn today that Milly who lived two doors down is fine! My human was waiting for the bus today this morning to go into town to check the mail from our post office box (before work) and saw the lady who lives two doors down and asked her about her cat.

Well, it turns out that they call her Sammy and not Milly, and Sammy had gone to live in another house (with the lady's daughter) and she is fine.

Sammy's human's mother told my human that Sammy was found as a stray in John Knight park, not far from where I live, near Lake Ginninderra and she adopted them. They were worried that our street was not safe, as it is on a bus route and lots of cars drive through, and Sammy liked lying on the road. As a former stray, she liked being outdoors. Silly cat, I prefer being inside with my human, preferably on his lap as often as possible.

Anyway, the lady was amused to learn that Sammy used to turn up at our doorstep regularly, and also used to visit and chat with my late brother Fatty through our lattice of the enclosed deck at the back.

They had a chuckle about "Walter" who is another "stray" who adopted someone else further down the street.

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Merlin's human Kim came over tonight for a roast lamb dinner. I spent some time draped over her lap. It has been such a cold day, and night as well. But Friday means the weekend is here. I wonder what inactivity my human and I will do tomorrow. Watching movies on the couch I hope!

I forgot to mention that last night I had a great time playing with my plastic rings with my human.

keisercat@wildmail.com

catspaw

You thought I was going to write about my cute little paws didn't you?


my left front paw

WRONG!

Catspaw (scientific name Anigozanthos humilis) is a rare plant found in Western Australia.



LINK - Wildflowers Western Australia (for description)

By the way, Happy Bloomsday! And that, also had nothing to do with flowers! Unless of course they named a plant after James Joyce.

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Today was another cold day. I don't like the cold when I don't get a lap to lie on.

keisercat@wildmail.com

some gems

Lately, there have been some very interesting claims made by very prominent people.

President George W Bush talking to African leaders about democracy which is ironic given that he was first elected to the White House because the votes of many African-Americans in Florida were NOT included or counted. Thanks Jeb!


President George W. Bush walks with the Presidents from Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, Mozambique and Niger along West Executive Avenue at the White House Monday, June 13, 2005 (photo by Eric Draper)

And from the prince of pop himself
1/15/29: Martin Luther King is born
11/09/89: The Berlin Wall falls.
2/11/90: Nelson Mandela freed.
6/13/05: Remember this date for it is part of HIStory. Innocent!
— Opening screen on the official Michael Jackson website, MJJsource.com (needs macromedia 6.0).

Yes Michael, Pope Benedict XVI might also make you a living saint as well, if only you were Catholic.

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Today was a cold day. I listened to the radio again. I especially enjoyed Yefim Bronfman's version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

My human came back a little earlier today from work and I managed to go outside and run around and chew grass while he collected the washing which had dried during the day. I then went back inside and vomitted up the bits of grass. No hairball, but it was worth checking.

keisercat@wildmail.com

meals on wheels

What do you call a mouse on a skateboard?

Meals on wheels!

Meow ha ha ha ha meow ha ha ha....

Seriously, it has been many years since I last ate a mouse. As an indoor cat (since the last 7 years or so), I no longer hunt rodents.

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Tonight I had cooked chicken for dinner. It was corn fed thigh fillets lightly poached in water. I think I am not allowed red meat anymore because of my reaction to it the next day.

keisercat@wildmail.com

glamour-puss

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, glamour-puss (noun) means glamorously attractive person.

What a lovely compliment on us cats!

When people are described as dogs... well, I needn't say anymore!

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My human stayed home with me all day today (except when he walked to the shops and back). After the last two days of just lounging on the couch watching videos and falling asleep, I didn't get to sit with him much today as he was up and doing chores for most of the day.

I thought he was staying home to keep me company, but no, today was a public holiday for the Queen's Birthday, even though her actual birthday was 21 April. This explains the loud bangs last night which were firecrackers. The poor dogs in the neighbourhood must have been terrified! I didn't send a birthday card to the Queen, as she has never sent me one, so we're even. I wonder if her corgis gave her a present.

It was mostly a sunny day until tonight, when some heavy rains fell. Along with Saturday's rain, the farmers will be happy as we have been in drought for some time.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Cat 1, Alligator 0, Human -90

WBNS-10TV in Columbus, Ohio reported that 18 year old Shawn Wright of 226 South Eureka Avenue in west Columbus tried to feed Ally the kitten to an alligator.

Neighbours saw what was happening and reported him. Humane society officer Leighanne Detillion was on the scene and this stupid man even admitted trying to feed the kitten to a 3-foot alligator. He claimed Ally was a stray and therefore it didn't matter.

In full sight of officer Detillion, he then picked up Ally by neck, shaking her violently (all while he was ordered to put Ally down) and threw her as hard as he could, more than 10 feet off the front porch.

Wright faces one charge of animal cruelty and city prosecutors plan to ask for the maximum penalty, which is 90 days in jail. His court court appearance is scheduled for 15 June.

Ally the kitten is waiting to be adopted from the Franklin County Humane Society.

What I want to know is why anybody keeps a wild animal such as an alligator in their yard. Secondly, why is the penalty for animal cruelty so light? It should be at least one year.

To my friends living in Ohio, write to your government and ask them to increase the penalty for animal cruelty.

To my kitty friends near that neighbourhood, stalk this bad human and tell him what you think. Do your business on his front porch!

WBNS-10 TV news report


Ally - only an evil person could harm this little kitten

Football - round 12. My team was incredible. Results and stats are as follows:

CARLTON: 3.3 8.4 10.7 12.10 (82) defeated by
BRISBANE LIONS: 4.5 11.6 17.11 21.14 (140)
GOALS - Carlton: Whitnall 4, Fevola 2, Davies, Houlihan, Lappin, Scotland, Waite, Walker Brisbane Lions: Brown 4, Corrie 3, McGrath 2, Merrett 2, Notting 2, Power 2, Akermanis, Black, Bradshaw, Drummond, Keating, Voss
BEST - Carlton: Koutoufides, Lappin, Whitnall, Walker Brisbane Lions: Brown, Drummond, Notting, Power, Bradshaw, Michael, Johnson, Corrie, Adcock
CHANGES - Brisbane Lions: Lappin (knee) replaced in selected side by Copeland.
REPORTS - Carlton: Sporn reported by field umpire Ryan in the third quarter for charging Merrett.
UMPIRES - Davis, Ryan, Pannell
CROWD - 37,880 at Telstra Dome

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The sun finally came out in the afternoon after a cloudy morning. I went outside in the morning to sniff the bushes while the washing was hung out.

I had another lazy day with my human. First I was on my day bed, then I sat with him on the couch. We even fell asleep again (during a football game)! We later watched a very scarey German horror flick called Anatomie.

keisercat@wildmail.com

jetcats

I would love to say that jetcats are an exclusive group of jetsetting cats who fly in to Monaco every year to live it up as playcats!

But no, jetcats are actually not that at all.

The jetcat is a ferry service from Sydney's Circular Quay to Manly. It is a very pleasant trip across Sydney Harbour to a seaside suburb.



The jetcat is actually a catamaran, which is a type of ship.

Australia is a leading designer and manufacturer of catamarans. One of the leading world companies is Incat Designs.

Jetcat is also the name of an American manufacturer of a type of engine.

Football - my team is playing tonight. I will mention the results tomorrow.

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It rained very heavily all day today. I laid on my human's lap most of the day on the couch. At one stage he fell asleep, and I had a nap too (such bliss). We watched a silly movie, Fifty First Dates.

I had chicken wing for dinner again. But I managed to get some bits of cooked rabbit earlier. My human turned the cooked rabbit into a sauce for pasta (and not a stew). He's decided that rabbit is better being slowly braised in red wine like coq au vin. Besides, it doesn't taste much different to chicken anyway (preferably free range organic chicken).

Tonight we watched Dr Who on tv which was way cool. We also watched last week's episode earlier today which had been taped.



Last night after I wrote my diary, we watched The Terminal with Tom Hanks which is a crap movie! Perhaps they should have told the real story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who has been stuck at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport since 1988. Hollywoodised versions of real situations just romanticise the very real tragedies of reality.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak was born today (10 June) in 1928.



He is a famous children's book writer and illustrator. His most famous works are Where the Wild Things Are (1963) and In the Night Kitchen (1970).


Illustration from Where the Wild Things Are


Illustration from In the Night Kitchen

These have been read to children for generations. My human still remembers them from primary/elementary school. In fact, he still has them on his bookshelf!

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Friday means the weekend is here! My human told me he might stay home from work on Monday as well! We plan to watch videos all weekend!

keisercat@wildmail.com

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson...

Who? The singer? Not interested. Don't care.

I am more interested in food, cuddles, and being brushed. Oh, and the other interesting things I write in my diary.

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Today was an interesting day. After all the past week's excitement, things have settled down to the quiet life. Just me and my human again.

I had chicken wing for dinner, while my human had an extra thick sirloin steak which he did not share with me. He later offered me a piece of raw rabbit which I sniffed but declined. It was a wild rabbit he got from the butcher which will turn into a stew!

Tonight we watched Lost. My human tells me that the 'boatshed' that Sawyer visited in view of the Sydney Opera House couldn't exist as the Park Hyatt Hotel is there. Also Australians do not use the word shrimp (Paul Hogan did a long time ago) but prawn, and it is highly unlikely there would exist a van selling cooked prawn like that. Also we do NOT use environmentally unfriendly foam containers for hot food. The back of the door of Sawyer's hotel room should have a note about the Innkeepers Act (a law about obligation and liability), and a floor plan with a fire escape plan. Bad bad research. Or laziness.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Frank Lloyd Wright (again)

Back in 10 December 2004, I wrote about Frank Lloyd Wright and his famous works/buildings such as the Guggenheim in New York and Falling Water.

Well, today Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 (he died on 9 April 1959).

During his lifetime, Frank Lloyd Wright built 532 homes, museums, and office buildings. More than 400 of these are still around. There are still many homes in Chicago.

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation



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The catless Mary (who normally resides in Sydney, but here for work) came over for dinner tonight for bangers and mash (thick organic sausages and mash sweet and spunta potatoes) with blanched brussel sprouts, asparagus (from Peru as it is off season here), and broccolini.

I wanted to sit on Mary's lap, but was happy on the dining chair that my human was sitting on (behind him while he ate).

keisercat@wildmail.com

05 06 07

Isn't that interesting? 5, 6, 7 in sequence denoting the year, month and date.

Well, it could be better, like back in 2001 February 3 which would have been 01 02 03.

My favourite number is 102,139. One hundred and two thousand, one hundred and thirty nine. And it is also a prime number

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Today started out cold, then it warmed up. In the evening, the catless Devi came over for a roast lamb dinner. I even managed to get a piece of lamb. Mmm... lamb, my favourite.

keisercat@wildmail.com

moonpussy

No, not a cat on the moon, chasing mice eating the moon made of cheese. What a ridiculous notion!

Back in the 1960s way before I was born, there were movies on the big screen and on television about a silly girl named Gidget and her friend Moondoggy, a surfer.

Well, what a stupid nickname, Moondoggy. Really!

How about Moonpussy? Yeah, that would have been fun, Gidget and Moonpussy going off into the sunset like Thelma and Louise. Hmmm, in the sixties? That would have really stirred them up a bit!

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It's Monday again. That can only mean Desperate Housewives and a nice long brush of my beautiful fur.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Kangaroos

Kangaroos are like giant rats with big tails which hop or bounce instead of scurrying like other rats.

They are prolific breeders and when there is a drought (as they eat vegetation), they are in danger of starvation.

They are also a major source of petfood in Australia for dogs and cats. I used to eat raw kangaroo mince, but my human stopped feeding it to me as I used to react badly to it.


Macropus rufus - source of pet food (mince), rump steak, fillets, tail (cooked over a fire is an indigenous specialty) etc

My human also used to cook kangaroo steaks. They are a very lean source of meat. But he stopped as it has a strong smell when cooking. Probably best to roast a rump or fillet. Anyway, he prefers lamb, as I do.

Some propaganda from our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Football - round 11. My team makes a come back. Here are the stats...

FREMANTLE: 4.2, 6.6, 7.6, 10.7 (67) defeated by
BRISBANE LIONS: 2.2, 7.8, 10.11, 15.16 (106)

GOALS – Fremantle: Murphy 3, Farmer 2, Longmuir 2, Haselby, Bell, Medhurst Brisbane Lions: McGrath 3, Bradshaw 3, Power 2, Drummond 2, Macdonald 2, Corrie, Keating, Akermanis
BEST – Fremantle: Bell, J Carr, Parker, Pavlich, Black, Schofield
Brisbane Lions: Brown, Black, Voss, Akermanis, Power, Macdonald, Drummond
INJURIES – Fremantle: Dodd (shoulder) Brisbane Lions: Leppitsch (groin)
CHANGES – Fremantle: Headland (calf) replaced in selected side by Webster Brisbane Lions: C Scott (hamstring) replaced in selected side by McLaren
REPORTS - Nil
UMPIRES - Margetts, Quigley, Goldspink
CROWD - 34,143 at Subiaco Oval (someone remembered to count!)

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I had a very exciting weekend with Jake's human Dane. Now my regular ones have returned. I have more fun with other humans who stay with me, as they do not see me very often and I can train them well...

keisercat@wildmail.com

Whistleblowing, Watergate and Deep Throat

Wow, we finally know who Deep Throat is who blew the Watergate scandal. Yet there are questions over the ethics of whistleblowing.

San Francisco Chronicle news article

If W. Mark Felt from the FBI (Deep Throat) did not blow the whistle, and people found out later, he might have been just as guilty in allowing a President who deserved to be impeached (or resign) get away with it. Who knows?

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Merlin's human, Kim and offsprings Jordan and Liam came over this evening for penne pasta with bolognese sauce. I just laid on a dining room chair, behind my human who was sitting on it. It was cool. Then Jake's human Dane and his dad Craig came over not long after. It was very exciting but everybody then left around 8pm.

I am going to give my diary a little break until Sunday. I hope you all have a good weekend. I might change my mind though.

keisercat@wildmail.com

The Cat Returns (Neko no ongaeshi)

On January 10, I wrote about Japanese manga and anime.

A pretty good anime is The Cat Returns.

Here is the plot from IMDB
"A young girl rescues a mysterious cat from traffic and soon finds herself the unwelcome recipient of gifts and favors from the King of the Cats, who also wants her to marry his son, Prince Lune. With the assistance of a fat, grouchy real cat and a an elegant cat statuette come to life, the girl visits the Cat Kingdom and narrowly escapes again."



The girl previously had an earlier adventure in Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo sumaseba).

Official website - Disney

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Strange things are afoot. My regular human went to work at the usual time. My other one stayed with me and then left and came back, and left and came back again, then went out in the evening. Thank goodness I was fed. My regular one came back late from work. But we also had a good game of chasing my plastic jar lid ring.

keisercat@wildmail.com