let me think about that

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 May 2014 -  We cats really don't have a hard time making up our minds, nor is it necessarily the case that inertia has us in its grip.  The fact that thirty seconds can be ticked off between idea and action is just evidence of how thoughtful we felines really are.  "Look before you leap" sums up our philosophy nicely.  The notion must be turned over, examined on all sides, weighed for its consequences, questioned for its true intentions.  You peeps could take a lesson from us.  Reflection doesn't require a mirror.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't be surprised when

there is a reaction.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

film of the day - Cats Don't Dance, a 1997 Warner Bros. animation, 'nuff said

high ground

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

 Me-usings and Me-emories

27 May 2014 - What was I thinking?  Now my peeps will conclude that I approve of my "pet carrier", whereas I much prefer that they feel great guilt whenever they stuff me into its cavity.  In reality I am a victim of preconditioning.  Why sleep on the porch floor, when I can hop onto the table top?  And why stop there, when offered a height advantage of perhaps an inch?  Had that pillar candle been more accommodating, I would have curled atop that.  No, higher is always better, even when it sends mixed signals and offers incriminating evidence.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Cooperation can be misconstrued.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrmotion, an action that elevates a cat to a higher position

savor the moment

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 May 2014 - I know what I like, so eating the same meal day after day, for my entire adult life, doesn't mean that I am in a mindless rut.  I'll repeat:  I know what I like.  Familiarity can lead to a dulling of the senses, the nose no longer registering the fine aroma, the taste buds ignoring the food upon the tongue, but by intensely focusing upon the act of eating I remain intrigued and satisfied.  Despite my limited menu, I am an unabashed gourmand.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Do what you're good at.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - sempurr fidelis, always faithful, at least until something better comes along

paws to reflect

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 May 2014 - A museum docent comes to mind here:  "And please notice the juxtaposition of light and dark in this mixed media piece...."  It just goes to illustrate the range of functions a foreleg can serve.  I think that the adman who coined "reach out and touch someone" lived with a cat, as I have been known to pat an arm, swat an ankle, and grab hair, all in an attempt to make my point with a peep who is otherwise engrossed in tasks (or thoughts) in which I don't figure.  We really are a patient and intelligent lot, but we prefer to keep the upper hand:  "Fetch?  I think not..."

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Authority is a mental state

and a tone of voice.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - expurrtise, the skill set of a cat

life lessons

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 May 2014 - Where do you fall on the optimist/pessimist scale?  Is the glass half empty or half full for you?  If you see, in the picture to the right, a soft, furry foreleg begging to be stroked, then I would wager that you are the cheerful, trusting sort.  However if your impression is colored by the suspected presence of sharp weapons beneath that benign surface, I would wager that you aren't expectant of happy endings.  But then which of you is going to get scratched?

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Rose-colored glasses

shift your perspective.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

film of the day - X-men: Days of Future Past, a story that allows the possibility that mistakes can be corrected

the calm before the storm

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 May 2014 - I really don't think that I'm being paranoid to infer that something is amiss.  True, the peeps are doing their normal things, and the household hasn't shifted on its foundation...but they are up to something. If I didn't live so much in the present, I might better recall similar situations and could foresee the future.  Instead I must tiptoe around and peer around corners.  However I truly hope that I am overreacting.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Do dropped shoes always

come in pairs?

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrdiction, the thing expected to befall, like trouble following a quiet spell

follow me

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 May 2014 - You might think that this photo is evidence that I am a skulker, but you would be incorrect.  I am a waiter, in a job without gratuities.  The shorter peep and I have a morning routine, unwitnessed by the still asleep taller peep.  Despite countless rehearsals, I still have to cue her from the wings:  "yes, now we proceed upstairs, remember?"  She definitely remains the understudy, but as top-billing divo I truly am not ready to step aside.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

The least you can do 

is know your lines.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

 

Catty Corner

word of the day - purractice, a trial performance for the struggling or ungifted, as in "purractice makes purrfect"

things are looking up

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 May 2014 - I get a bit woozy focusing on this photograph.  Why should a different orientation be so disorienting?  But I do recall a tip for drawing that involves flipping a familiar object upside down.  There is empirical evidence that the brain sees inherent shapes and relationships between those shapes much more readily if it doesn't recognize the thing it is looking at.  It would seem that a well-known face is quickly given a name, and the brain feels that it has done its job.  But if one wants to notice the isosceles triangles that are my ears or the equilateral triangle that is the white patch on my nose, trick the old noggin into giving me a closer look.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

 Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't get too comfortable

in your comfort zone.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - cat-up, a mischievous and playful feline

behold(en)

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 May 2014 - My divinity has been captured in a photo...or it could just be a brilliant ray of sunlight.  Those of you enlightened ones favoring the first option might be wondering why my godness radiates from my feet.  That odd phenomenon would be due to the thin covering of fur in that area...at least that is my theory, and it really is futile to try changing a cat's mind.  "Right is right" not only terminates a conversation but prevents wasting of time on proof-reading and second-guessing.  It should be no surprise that another aspect of our energy conservation (see yesterday's entry) is not over-thinking an issue.  What a comforting black-and-white world when my every declarative sentence is a holy decree.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

The nay-sayers are

just being negative.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

 

word of the day - meownifestation, the embodiment of a deity, an incarnation of Bastet

sleeping beauty

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 May 2014 -  Many of you peeps envy my laid-back life style, my high marks in energy conservation.  Although I have never conducted an official measurement, the average cat sleeps 13-14 hours each day.  Today's "power nap" is but a catnap with a snappy name.  The over-achievers of my species can snooze 20 out of the 24, which is truly an accomplishment to keep reality unobtrusive for that long.  My current spot of choice is unfortunately a heavy-traffic area, with an annoying answering machine just feet away.  So my blurriness is actually sleep deprivation.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Everyone needs beauty rest,

some more than others.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - furty winks, a bit of shut-eye

who's the fairest?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 May 2014 - Knowledge is power.  Just think of the atrocities that international awareness has brought before a court of law, sordid events that the perpetrators hoped to bury, often literally.   Public media doesn't allow us to believe that all is well in the world.  It places under our very noses the injustices that exist, the inequalities that persist.  And it is these facts that give the insignificant citizen weight and authority:  "Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the world." 

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

What is good for the goose

may just be peanuts.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

book of the day - Boy, Snow, Bird, by Helen Oyeyemi, a topsy-turvy take on Snow White, "a cautionary tale of post-race ideology, racial limbos and the politics of passing" ~ NYT book review

rubbed the wrong way

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 May 2014 -  I fear that my good-natured and reassuring presence has turned me into the household's worry stone.  Whenever the peeps pass through a room in which I am, they are compelled to pause and speak, scratch my head, chuck my chin.  This obsessive need to ground themselves through me may be the cause of my thinning hair, like the polished feet of saintly statues.  Am I in fact their psychological crutch?  I suspect the answer to this question is "yes", but I accept the burden of responsibility.  After all, to those whom much is given, much is expected...and it is great job security.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

The sense of touch is undervalued.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - furet, to be visibly worried or anxious, to be dogged by concern

just the (im)perfect kinship

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

Me-usings and Me-emories

16 May 2014 - A friendship that lasts must be based on reciprocity, so I see no attachment growing between me and Neko.  My paw has been extended and disregarded.  And frankly I don't have any interest in finding out why.  It clearly is content with its little spot in the world, and I have a full and satisfying life with my peeps...at least with them it is never dull, and Neko brings out the yawn in me.  Cats are accustomed to and well equipped for solitude: packs are for dim deeps and other creatures that need a collective brain.  We felines are quite capable of answering for ourselves "which way did it go?"

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

How can you have more

than one best friend?

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - rappurrt, a close and harmonious relationship based on understanding and commewnication