Black Dahlia

I'm not really a fan of Halloween so usually I just go to whatever party I'm invited to as a 1950s housewife..meaning I just show up in something I'd normally wear.

But this year I decided to actually put a tiny bit of effort into my costume...

Franks

Relatives on my Father's side, eating hot dogs before a night out.

Rumble

Spent Saturday here...

It was so hot and humid that we spent most of the time in the pavilion, eating ice cream and listening to bands.

Swanky

This is one of my favorite photographs of my Grandparents. it was taken at Kelly's Lobster House in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1951 (or 1952.. my mother isn't quite sure.) My grandfather, Thaddeus, is in the upper left and my grandmother, Anastasia, is the gal with the cigarette in the upper right. The photo was taken by one of those roving photographers that restaurants used to often employ. This photo is framed in a tiny cardboard folder with the establishment's logo on the front.

My mother had thought she lost this photo and we searched for years for it. It just recently turned up. This is what happens to pack-rats. They lose things and then they magically reappear, years later.

Pearly Whites

This guy went to the vet yesterday because it appears that his ears are going bald. It turned out to not be a problem and nothing to worry about, BUT the vet mentioned that he needs his teeth cleaned. Ok. No problem.

The I get the quote...

FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS.

Almost half a grand so my cat can have sparkling chompers?

Back to the Eastern Seaboard

I'm back from Vegas. Here are a few photos...

I call this...."Blurry cat in sweater"

This photograph of Dolemite in his party sweater isn't blurry because he couldn't sit still. It's blurry because I was laughing too hard and thus couldn't hold the camera steady.

He's actually really good at posing in his sweater. This is due largely to the fact that when he's wearing it, he thinks his legs don't work. As soon as that sweater is on him, he just stands there, motionless, or flops onto his back. It's weird.

New Year's Eve in Suburbia

Threw a New Year's Eve party again this year. The good thing about throwing parties is that at the end of the night, you're already home!

Harris and his beverage...


Something must have been funny to the left...


Chris, on his way to get another drink...


Dolemite, wearing his party sweater...


Myk, passed out...

You've come a long way, baby.

Today is Dolemite the Cat's birthday. He is 4 years old, which translates to "still a jerk" in people years.

Technically, his birthday might not actually be today. The shelter where we adopted him from couldn't pin-point his actual birthdate, but did say he was probably born between October 20th and October 30th. So we decided he was born on October 24th. It doesn't really matter... he can't read a calendar anyway.

I can still remember the day we adopted the jerk...

We (me and the boyfriend at the time, who is now no longer the boyfriend) had just moved from a mouse-infested apartment in Boston to another apartment in the building next door. I wanted a cat to protect me from rodents in the new apartment. I NEEDED a cat to protect me from rodents. I was so tramatized from the mouse apartment that everytime something glinted in the corner of my eye, I assumed it was a mouse and promptly freaked out.

The boyfriend did not want a cat. I whined and begged for weeks.

A few weeks later, on New Year's Eve, we attended a party hosted by one of his co-workers. He is a chef, so the party food was elaborate. The host, knowing that I don't drink, prepared a highly carbonated non-alcoholic fancy shmancy fruity lemon thing that I think also involved ginger. It really was quite beautiful, although I really don't like carbonation. It makes me gag. It's too fizzy. Wah!

I sat there holding the giant glass of good intention in my hand, trying to think of a way to dump it in a plant or something. I didn't want to be rude, but I could not drink this thing. I do not have a sophisticated palate. There was too much going on with that beverage. I like plain things. Like warm apple juice.

So I sat there surrounded by tiny sausages wrapped in puff pastry blankets and spare ribs marinated in imported sauces I had never heard of, while bitter over-worked chefs argued the merits of Kobe Beef. I sat trying to hatch a plan to get rid of the lemony, zingy beverage.

Then, the boyfriend solved the problem for me by saying,
"If you drink that, we can get a cat."

Gulp.

Two days later, we are at the Animal Rescue League in Boston looking at felines when we spot him... a tiny grey and white mangy looking kitten hovering in the corner of a tiny cage. We ask to see him in one of the "get to know you" stalls to see if we get along. We had to wear rubber gloves because the kitten had just arrived about 3 hours ago and had been flea-dipped.

The Rescue worker tells us that he was rescued from a dumpster in the back of a Burger King, and he was all alone. No siblings. Nothing. A tiny kitten all alone in a big fast food dumpster. Cue the dramatic music.

We carry the little trembling furball into the stall and the woman tells us to watch out because a rabbit was just in there with it's future adoptive parents.

The little grey kitten jumps out of my purple-gloved hands, runs under a chair and begins eating rabbit droppings.

Obviously, we had to adopt him.

Lead Sled

Here are some photos from the Fallout taken with the same camera that we used to take those neat-o vintage-feel photos at Coney Island about a month ago. I really love the way these look.

Like a Rocket

I love the interior of this car...

The Gamma Rays

The Gamma Rays played at the Fallout...



Johnny Custom's Bass...

...He was filling in for the day.

Vroom Vroom

Hot Rod Fallout

Went to the Hot Rod Fallout in Connecticut on Saturday...

Butter Dish

Moody

These photos are from my trip to Coney Island in September. I love the color and mood of these photos. My father took this with his video camera. His video camera has a photograph setting to take still captures, but it doesn't do well in certain lighting, so you end up with these sorts of photos. I wish I could buy a camera that took ALL photos like this. I COULD get this effect in Photoshop I guess, but I like the fact that these photos exist like this... they aren't manipulated.

He sleeps

Nothing of note, just some pictures of the devil sleeping. I think the slow change from Summer to Autumn is making this cat insane. He's been more of a jerk this week than usual. I've said this before, but he's really lucky he's adorable.

Top Banana of Coney Island!

See the giant inflatable banana...?

I bought it. I had to.

Obviously.