Mum's pack

I had a special request from my Mum to put the three very cute wee felt dogs she just finished on my blog - some fairly unconvincing logic about adding "balance" to my cat-focused site.

(It's a one time thing, cats. Don't worry.)

Her beasts are sporting some of the new eyes - mini Chobe the boxer has glass, and the mini Dachshund has slightly smaller plastic. Yes I know - obsess much? Apparently ;)

get it OFF ME already....

Meet Mini Mags, the newest thing I can pester the cats with.

I have spent the last 20 minutes trying to get that perfect shot of Maggie and her small felt doppelganger. Those that know cats know you can't force a photoshoot. Doesn't stop me from trying.

Maggie's glare in the top shot pretty much sums up how much fun she was having.

Now the tiny glass eyes have arrived, I hope to work on a mini Thom this weekend. You've been warned cats - it's gonna be two against two soon.

Bunklelife - Top Albums 2008

Too many posts about crafts, cats, and blood...so here goes my round up of the best from last year. "Best" is a bit of a joke - I'm not sure I've listened to enough to rank what is "best". But this is what I've enjoyed listening to for the last few months.... (DRUM ROLL)

In no particular order:

1. The Dodos - Visiter: (And not only because the band decided to put my bro's stealth video as the only live footage link on their website). Fingerpicking, strumming, percussive good times. A step up from their first album, and their first was good enough...

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!: OK, I admit I'm a sucker for Nick Cave - he falls into the rarified ranks of Creative Godliness that I reserve for very few. Great album that carries some of the rawness from last year's alter ego, Grinderman.

3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: The winter cabin story of this album is well known, and you can hear the isolation. Loneliness has never sounded so sweet. Best track: The Wolves Act I & II

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: Ya, me and everyone else. I hate to be part of the club, and at first I was fighting their sweet harmonies, but reluctantly I am. Such sophisticated stuff from such a young band.

5. Blitzen Trapper - Furr: I liked Wild Mountain Nation a lot, but there is a real consistency and (I hate this word but...) maturity to Furr. Fantastic title track too.

6. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park: Lush, wandering gorgeousness...

7. Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows: Yes, the lead singer sounds a bit like Scrooge McDuck, but that's part of their charm. Great album, GREAT live band.

8. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue: Too damn catchy for their own good. One of my favorite "sing along badly in the car" albums.

9. Beck - Modern Guilt: Trippy guitars, great vocals and some of Beck's better lyrics to boot.

10. TBA - there's bound to be something fantastic that hasn't crossed my path yet....

Another year gone....

Ahhh say, ahh cayn't SEE!

Why this animal talks like Foghorn Leghorn I'm not sure....but apparently he does.

Waiting for some tiny glass eyes to arrive (from glasseyesonline - who knew?!) before letting this guy see the light.

And for those few who visit my blog to see music stuff - sorry. Should be more very soon.

Baaa...grrr?

Something not 100% sheep-like about this....a bit polar bear or something. Polar sheep? Hmmm.

Bunneh #1....

Yes...the foray into needle felting begins....

Introducing Bunneh #1 - he ain't perfect (though he looks way hairier in the photo than he does in real life ... or is that hareier? ), but he's cute enough for my first attempt. And I didn't even poke the needle into my finger...miracles can happen after all!

welcome to my world....

I relate too closely to this series...enjoy... http://ca.youtube.com/user/simonscat

Close enough...

OK, so it isn't actually a picture of me in the tub...but close enough. I had a couple of small friends removed from my scalp last weeks - known as "wens", which, if you look up the definition online is:

Wen - Used to describe the spongy headgrowth some goldfish have. This is present in all goldfish to some degree, but has been bred to be more prominant in breeds like Orandas and lionheads.

I like to think I'm a lionhead, not an Oranda. But I guess I'm just your average goldfish now.

But I digress - except to mention that the doctor cut an artery in my scalp during the process, and I pretty quickly resembled our friend Carrie here. Luckily I found it all pretty funny, matted, bloody hair/face/arm and all - a reaction I was thankful for, because I am by nature a fainter not a giggler when it comes to things medical.

With stitches in place, I feel a little more kinship with Thomas, who has had a single stitch in the corner of his eye for the past two weeks (removed successfully today, actually). He had a small growth removed while he was under getting his pearly whites cleaned & sharpened - poor little guy came home with a head cone on, and immediately rocketed around the house in 100% full on panic mode, until he had managed to smash it into enough tables/chairs/doorframes to snap the thing right in half. I found him in the basement with one leg stuck through the cone-collar, hyperventilating, so I de-coned him. Not really sure what the vet thought the cone would achieve - cats are sneaky, but not exactly dexterous enough with their claws to pick a stitch out of the corner of their eye. Anyhoo - all is well with Thom now, and I'm coming to terms with the fact I am no longer a truly fancy goldfish.

No Doubt...

Saw Doubt with a friend yesterday. I'd rank this as one of the best of 2008. The issue at hand is well explained by the trailer. The "guilty or not" question is never solved, but that isn't what the core of the film is about. The pal I went to the film with had seen an interview with the writer and he said that the play for him came in part out of the Bush administration's "certainty" of the existence of the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Puts an interesting spin on things. Layer on top of that the old boys club that is the Catholic church and you have some serious issues to think about. Stellar script, stellar performances. I have long worshiped at the shrine of Philip Seymour Hoffman - the man can do no wrong.

Viola Davis as the mother of the boy at the core of the issue deserves some serious recognition. A small role that rocks you back on your heels, and she is brilliant.

That's all I will say. Except go see it.