An interview on floppycats.com

An interview I did a while back with the owner of floppycats.com went up today--check it out!

Also, I'm slowly in the process of bring my listings back up to date in my etsy shop; if there's anything you want that hasn't been relisted yet, just let me know!

Settling in

Well, I'm finally starting to settle in--the DH and I found a cute little Spanish colonial home to rent only 4 blocks from the beach (and right across the street from kayaking on the Intercoastal, which I'm excited about). It's still only sparsely furnished--most of the furniture is still with the hubster in KY as he finishes the packing and remodeling.

I definitely have the easier job.

My new job is nice; it's keeping me pretty busy. As soon as I can I'll post some pics of the kitties enjoying their new digs--well, 2 of them at least. The younger 2 are also still in KY :)

The kitties are happy about our packing

Here snacker takes advantage of the newly cleared top of the bookshelf, which was previously stacked up to the ceiling with stuff.

Where in FLA?

A few of you asked, so I figured I should post a quick answer: we're moving to the Daytona Beach area (which neighborhood--Ormond, Port Orange, or New Smyrna Beach--we haven't yet decided).

Thanks for all the kind wishes on our big move!

Blogcation

I haven't been posting lately because I've been flying all over the country on job interviews--and now that I've snagged a job (in sunny FLA - whoo-hoo!) I won't be posting for a while longer because life is all about packing boxes and house hunting right now.

I'll probably be back around late June. Until then, hope everyone has fun! And if you want any PurrPrints goodies, I suggest hitting up my zazzle or cafepress shops (see links in the header above) as I'll be slow to ship anything handmade while I'm moving.

Snacker was feeling left out

When snacker climbed up on the desk and began pointedly looking at me after I pulled up the latest puma-themed post I realized he was feeling a bit jealous.

Not that he'd ever admit to that of course. He's now indignantly grooming himself and ignoring me for even suggesting such a thing ;-)

Sunday snapshots: Puma's unusual napping spot

Mm, it's so nice and cozy in here on Daddy's clothes.

Moooom! You're disturbing my nap with that bright flashy light!

Nothing to do with cats, but...

A poet friend of mine (we used to write poetry together and help each other revise) sends out a favorite poem every day for the month of April. Today he sent this one--an old favorite of mine that I'd forgotten about--so I thought I would share it with all of you:

Failing and Falling
by Jack Gilbert

Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It’s the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.

Zorro loves chinrests

Zorro has a particular fondness for napping in places that provide a convenient spot for him to rest his chin (which, I think, is why he's particularly fond of this bed).

When he takes lap naps he's always looking for a spot to rest hi head--arms, nearby ledges or desks, books, anything,

Are any of your cats like that?

Squeeee!

Today when visiting moderncat I saw this picture. I think it may be one of the most adorable pictures of a cat I've ever seen. I literally squealed out loud, causing my parrot to make some very funny (and waaay too loud) noises in response.

That picture is from this interview with pet photographer Holly Sisson - check it out if you want some good tips on pet photography or just to see some squeal-inducing kitty cuteness.

My latest cat-in-progress

I've been working on this cat sculpture a bit more. Once I finish with the sculpting (I still need to sculpt up that curved pencil line into a tail) I'll be painting him. These stripes were kind of a trial idea--I'm not sure I like them though.

I am also considering doing a solid black with a textured gloss, or maybe some kind of abstract design. What do you all think?

I wish this waiting room had kitties

I'm currently sitting in a waiting room. Waiting rooms are, as everyone knows, the height of excitement.

When you're in a waiting room for an extra hour because you got the appointment time wrong they're that much more exciting though. ;-)

I think cute kittens should be made a new standard feature for waiting rooms. They could replace the pointless magazines no-one really reads. At least I have pictures of my kitties on my phone to play around with, like this one of Allie Mae.

Actually, she might volunteer to be a waiting room kitty. She loves meeting new people, and she might prefer that to being the perpetual subject of my experiments with Photoshop :)

Zorro makes a good teacher's pet

Zorro saw that his daddy needed some help grading papers and so he settled down to provide some moral support. He was willing to do the actual grading as well, but Mark was concerned his students wouldn't comprehend Zorro's brilliant and incisive wit, so he simply consulted Zorro on any particularly difficult decisions.

Zorro, as always, offered only the sagest advice. ;)

They loved it!

My committee loved my dissertation - hooray! That mans that, with the exception of a few administrative odds and ends, I am finished with my graduate education. I don't officially graduate until early May--but it's a great feeling.

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes! (And thanks as always to my sweet kitties for putting up with me [grin])

Tomorrow I...

defend my dissertation! And then (as of probably around 7pm on 5/29) I'll be Dr. PurrPrints! (how obnoxious would that be?)

Anyway, just had to share - wish me luck!

Puma prefers naps and laps to apps

I had to steal mommy's blog today to say that I am really tired of this new toy she has gotten.

First of all, what kind of toy has neither catnip, feathers, fur, nor nice crinkly sounds? I mean really, what good is a toy if it doesn't have at least one of those things? (Though mommy will never get me the feather and fur ones because she'sa says they are cruel to animals. I don't know what she means - I'm an animal, and it's cruel NOT to get them for me in my opinion!)

Secondly, this new toy makes her talk funny--always going on about "apps." At first I thought she meant naps, or maybe laps, and I was excited--because those are both very good things. I just thought maybe she had forgotten how to say these crucial words because her dissertation had finally fried her brain. (I don't know what this means, but I always hear her saying this.)

But no, there has been no surplus of naps or laps since she got this new toy, which I find really annoying. instead she's constantly pointing this thing at me and fussing if i don't sit sill to make a picture like the one above. So finally I did stay still--and look what she did! she made me all sideways!

Sigh. Its enough to make me need a nap.

P.s. - mommy says you all should check out this new treasury she is in, which was made by someone in honor f their newly adopted kitties.

My first mobile post

My latest crafting fascination: plushies & paperclay

I hope to be posting more often again soon because...

I've now joined the 21st century and gotten a smart phone! I'm hoping having such a handy way of taking pictures and turning them into blog posts will make me more prone to write. Right now I'm in the process of setting up my mobile blogging abilities, so if all goes well I'll hopefully be posting some new pics of both my cats and some new craft projects I've been working on (I'm getting very into sewing plushies and other 3d projects lately) to share with you all - assuming anyone is left after my long absence, that is ;)

Kitty Love pendants are now up at HaberHeartwork's

A while back I told you all how the talented Sharon of HaberHeartwork's would be turning my kitty-love design into glass pendants. Well, the Kitty Love necklace is now up for sale in her shop--and very inexpensively too ($7.75)--for anyone who wants to check it out!

A thank-you to a cool steampunk blog

Just wanted to share this as a kind of thank you to The Grand Design, who featured me on her blog today - I love steampunk stuff, and she has some awesome steampunk goodies, so if you're as much of a fan of steampunk as I am you should check her out :)

I love this Lock and Key necklace that's in her artfire shop especially.

Any other sewers out there?

So my husband, much to my delight, got me a sewing machine for xmas. I am a very beginning sewer, but I'm not thrilled at the prospect of working my way through traditional intro sewing projects, like pillows or aprons. So I have a few questions for anyone out ther who might know a smidge about sewing:

1) Any interesting baby sewing projects you can recommend? Say for funky-but-simple plushies, or comfy-and-casual-fun dresses, or anything else suited to a not-too-traditionally-domestic woman who's just learning to sew?

2) Any good resources where you've found patterns or project inspiration that you just love and want to share?

3) Any general "you must try" or "don't ever do this" kinda general sewing tips to share?

Also, of course, feel free to share anythign else that come sot mind

Feature Friday: New Year dreams

Since it's the new year, a time commonly spent dreaming big dreams for what we want for the year to come, I decided this Feature Friday should focus on some things I've recently favorited on etsy that are out of my price range but that I absolutely adore. Why not dream big, right?

The first is this lovely terrarium - JeffreyJamesModern has a bunch of cool terrariums, actually, but this is one of my favorites.

I'm also very much in love with this gorgeous jewelry box from Jim Jenkins.

Doesn't look like it would hold much - but who cares! Maybe I could sell most of my jewelry and get this instead? ;)

I also, on a less stlyishly modern note, really love this grizzly bear bean bag from ChicSinDesign. It would not "match" my home decor whatsoever, but I don't care--I'd still love it.

So how about you all? Have anything you've been dreaming over for a while?