It appears that this site has devolved into cat photos and videos. The internet has won.
Here are the boys, doing some of their favorite things.
That is all for now.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Cat training made easy
Max, it turns out, is a pretty smart cookie.
(link)
Maybe in 6 months we can have him doing the laundry and washing dishes.
I'm still trying to figure out what Sam can learn to do. We'll start with "stand up and beg for treat" and go from there.
(link)
Maybe in 6 months we can have him doing the laundry and washing dishes.
I'm still trying to figure out what Sam can learn to do. We'll start with "stand up and beg for treat" and go from there.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Day Two: Kitten Invasion!
The boys are settling right in around here, and have already claimed dominion over some choice perching positions. I suppose it is common for felis domesticus to exude an air of ownership over everything they touch.
Sam is still a little bit skittish at times. Mike thinks his eyes have a permanent look of concern about them.
Kitten action shot! Max is still the more playful of the two, but they both can get really into a good chase-and-tumble.
Our place is pretty wide-open in layout, but these guys are so small and sneaky that they are constantly able to appear as if out of thin air from behind and under furniture and around corners. Max in particular gave me a start this afternoon. We had all settled down for a siesta, but when I came back to the living room, only Sam was curled up under the hutch. I looked everywhere, and started to get a little worried that Max had gotten somewhere that he shouldn't and wound up stuck. A few minutes after calling Mike in to help with the search, I heard a muffled *thump* and then Max himself came out from below. Our suspicions were confirmed a short while later when he turned up missing again; he was napping on top of my placemats, having finagled himself through the gap at the rear and into the hutch's drawer.
I'm excited to see how else they manage to surprise us in the coming weeks!
Sam is still a little bit skittish at times. Mike thinks his eyes have a permanent look of concern about them.
Kitten action shot! Max is still the more playful of the two, but they both can get really into a good chase-and-tumble.
Our place is pretty wide-open in layout, but these guys are so small and sneaky that they are constantly able to appear as if out of thin air from behind and under furniture and around corners. Max in particular gave me a start this afternoon. We had all settled down for a siesta, but when I came back to the living room, only Sam was curled up under the hutch. I looked everywhere, and started to get a little worried that Max had gotten somewhere that he shouldn't and wound up stuck. A few minutes after calling Mike in to help with the search, I heard a muffled *thump* and then Max himself came out from below. Our suspicions were confirmed a short while later when he turned up missing again; he was napping on top of my placemats, having finagled himself through the gap at the rear and into the hutch's drawer.
I'm excited to see how else they manage to surprise us in the coming weeks!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sam & Max come home
On Memorial Day weekend, Mike and I went to the local animal shelter and applied to adopt a pair of kittens. Everything came together (paperwork and clean bills of health) so we got to bring them home earlier today!
They are brothers or possibly cousins from a cat colony that was found earlier this spring. There were multiple moms and litters, but all of them were grey or orange tabbies and probably related. The foster mom who had them for the last few weeks told us that they instantly touched noses and started wrestling and playing when they were reunited, and now they cry if they are separated for too long. Their best estimates are that they are about 13 weeks old, and they clock in at a lithe 3.5 lbs each.
Max, the gray, is definitely the more outgoing so far! He was first out of the carrier and first to approach each of us. He's also first to investigate noises and pounce on moving toys. So far, he seems to like head scratches and purrs up a storm.
Sam is the orange, and we haven't seen as much of him yet because he retreats to the carrier at the slightest disturbance. The foster mom told us he's a cuddler and followed her around incessantly before Max arrived. He'd even stop eating and come back for more petting before finishing his food!
Hopefully I'll get better pictures as they come out of their shells a bit! They both are tabby striped fading into spots towards the tummy, with lighter paws and belly. They've been in the bathroom for a few hours to acclimate, but haven't ventured out into the wider world now that the door is open. The afternoon siesta is winding to a close and they'll probably get playful as the evening progresses, so we have high hopes!
They are brothers or possibly cousins from a cat colony that was found earlier this spring. There were multiple moms and litters, but all of them were grey or orange tabbies and probably related. The foster mom who had them for the last few weeks told us that they instantly touched noses and started wrestling and playing when they were reunited, and now they cry if they are separated for too long. Their best estimates are that they are about 13 weeks old, and they clock in at a lithe 3.5 lbs each.
Max, the gray, is definitely the more outgoing so far! He was first out of the carrier and first to approach each of us. He's also first to investigate noises and pounce on moving toys. So far, he seems to like head scratches and purrs up a storm.
Sam is the orange, and we haven't seen as much of him yet because he retreats to the carrier at the slightest disturbance. The foster mom told us he's a cuddler and followed her around incessantly before Max arrived. He'd even stop eating and come back for more petting before finishing his food!
Hopefully I'll get better pictures as they come out of their shells a bit! They both are tabby striped fading into spots towards the tummy, with lighter paws and belly. They've been in the bathroom for a few hours to acclimate, but haven't ventured out into the wider world now that the door is open. The afternoon siesta is winding to a close and they'll probably get playful as the evening progresses, so we have high hopes!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A New Undertaking
Mike has been working on a number of projects lately, one of which is doing a bit of freelance a cappella arranging. We heard from a friend that Imogen Heap was seeking vocal groups to perform as her accompaniment for her song "Earth" on her current tour.
He passed that opportunity along to one group he has provided arrangements for, Chicago Vocal Authority, and they decided to audition. He wrote the arrangement. (Link)
Hopefully we'll find out in the next few days! The Chicago concert is May 23.
P.S. Those with a YouTube account can join the audition group and vote... it may not make a difference, but it can't hurt!
EDIT:
They got it! Great job CVA, and I'll add video later if we get a link!
EDIT 2:
He passed that opportunity along to one group he has provided arrangements for, Chicago Vocal Authority, and they decided to audition. He wrote the arrangement. (Link)
Hopefully we'll find out in the next few days! The Chicago concert is May 23.
P.S. Those with a YouTube account can join the audition group and vote... it may not make a difference, but it can't hurt!
EDIT:
They got it! Great job CVA, and I'll add video later if we get a link!
EDIT 2:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Turducken 2009!
Mike has been a part of making a Turducken (turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken) for the last couple of years, and this year we decided to organize and host our very own Turducken party last weekend! It's kind of a huge undertaking, but lots of fun and definitely delicious.
We were smart in a couple of ways this year: first, we ordered the poultry well in advance and paid to have the (20lb) turkey, duck, and chicken deboned by the butcher. Our acquaintances who did the deboning in previous years weren't participating, and neither of us felt up to the challenge of spending a couple of hours with a very sharp knife to prep the birds! Second, we got a couple of packs of turkey lacers, which made sewing the thing back up again significantly easier!
The whole process takes about 3 days, the way Mike does it. He picked up the meat from the butcher and covered all 3 birds in a large sterilite bin with a few gallons of brine (kosher salt and water, basically). The bin went in the fridge and the birds brined for about a day.
Mmm... brine and raw poultry:
During that day, Mike slaved over a hot stove to produce the 3 stuffings we layered between the birds. The cornbread/chowder with fresh cilantro, black beans and spices was a big hit, though the (turkey) sausage stuffing and rice pilaf with cranberries were also very good!
That evening, we had our "build party" with a few interested friends. Julia, Kelly and Jamie had no idea what to expect, but I think everybody had a good time.
Mike and Julia getting ready to lay out the turkey:
A bit ghastly, but soon it will be very yummy:
The cornbread/chowder stuffing goes first as Kelly and Jamie look on:
Now for the duck, which had fallen apart into chunks in the brine but still worked out:
On with the turkey sausage stuffing, followed by the chicken:
And then the cranberry rice pilaf:
Messy hands! Maybe next year I'll gank some lab gloves before the big day...
A beautiful sight, all the layers in place:
And now the reason why we need 5 people for this part of the process: one to take pictures while the other four roll the stack up and sew it closed! Previous iterations took much longer than this year, since they involved actually sewing the turkey meat together with a large needle and cooking twine. The poultry lacers cut it down to less than 15 minutes and held it all together amazingly well!
All laced up and ready to rest in the fridge until tomorrow. We barely lost any stuffing, to boot:
Okay, maybe a tad overstuffed, but a later step will take care of the gap in the closure:
We used a clean cutting board to heft the frankenbird into the roasting pan:
I love how demure it looks sitting in the pan with its ankles crossed.
And here is Mike's favorite little secret! A grand total of 3 pounds of thick bacon layered over the surface of the bird... This prevents the skin from taking too much heat and drying out, and simultaneously provides its own juices to keep the meat extremely tender. Since the thing is in the oven for about 12 hours, it's either this or continuous basting all day long:
Totally protected:
The whole thing went into the fridge for the night, and build team was congratulated on a job well done and dismissed. We were planning on serving the following evening at 6pm, so Mike and I were up at 5:45 the next morning to fire up the oven and get it started. The poultry has to reach 165° to be safe for consumption, so we estimated 12 hours and 220° would get it there.
Here's a few hours in, with the bacon starting to crisp nicely:
And we've made it, just in the nick of time because the guests will begin arriving very soon:
Here's the whole thing out of the oven:
In one last step, we peel off the bacon and start carving the bird-roll. Last year the bacon wrapping was basically inedible because it had been baked rock-hard (along with the wings and less meaty parts of the drumsticks), but this year's slices were thicker, fattier and held up much better:
We had somewhere close to 25 people in our apartment to share in the feast (and bring side dishes and desserts) and the portions worked out just about perfectly! The only problem is that it was such a hit, we'll have to be careful about invitations for next year... everyone who tried it last weekend are already looking forward to the next one, and folks who couldn't make it heard such rave reviews about it that they can't wait to try it now, too!
Yum!
We were smart in a couple of ways this year: first, we ordered the poultry well in advance and paid to have the (20lb) turkey, duck, and chicken deboned by the butcher. Our acquaintances who did the deboning in previous years weren't participating, and neither of us felt up to the challenge of spending a couple of hours with a very sharp knife to prep the birds! Second, we got a couple of packs of turkey lacers, which made sewing the thing back up again significantly easier!
The whole process takes about 3 days, the way Mike does it. He picked up the meat from the butcher and covered all 3 birds in a large sterilite bin with a few gallons of brine (kosher salt and water, basically). The bin went in the fridge and the birds brined for about a day.
Mmm... brine and raw poultry:
During that day, Mike slaved over a hot stove to produce the 3 stuffings we layered between the birds. The cornbread/chowder with fresh cilantro, black beans and spices was a big hit, though the (turkey) sausage stuffing and rice pilaf with cranberries were also very good!
That evening, we had our "build party" with a few interested friends. Julia, Kelly and Jamie had no idea what to expect, but I think everybody had a good time.
Mike and Julia getting ready to lay out the turkey:
A bit ghastly, but soon it will be very yummy:
The cornbread/chowder stuffing goes first as Kelly and Jamie look on:
Now for the duck, which had fallen apart into chunks in the brine but still worked out:
On with the turkey sausage stuffing, followed by the chicken:
And then the cranberry rice pilaf:
Messy hands! Maybe next year I'll gank some lab gloves before the big day...
A beautiful sight, all the layers in place:
And now the reason why we need 5 people for this part of the process: one to take pictures while the other four roll the stack up and sew it closed! Previous iterations took much longer than this year, since they involved actually sewing the turkey meat together with a large needle and cooking twine. The poultry lacers cut it down to less than 15 minutes and held it all together amazingly well!
All laced up and ready to rest in the fridge until tomorrow. We barely lost any stuffing, to boot:
Okay, maybe a tad overstuffed, but a later step will take care of the gap in the closure:
We used a clean cutting board to heft the frankenbird into the roasting pan:
I love how demure it looks sitting in the pan with its ankles crossed.
And here is Mike's favorite little secret! A grand total of 3 pounds of thick bacon layered over the surface of the bird... This prevents the skin from taking too much heat and drying out, and simultaneously provides its own juices to keep the meat extremely tender. Since the thing is in the oven for about 12 hours, it's either this or continuous basting all day long:
Totally protected:
The whole thing went into the fridge for the night, and build team was congratulated on a job well done and dismissed. We were planning on serving the following evening at 6pm, so Mike and I were up at 5:45 the next morning to fire up the oven and get it started. The poultry has to reach 165° to be safe for consumption, so we estimated 12 hours and 220° would get it there.
Here's a few hours in, with the bacon starting to crisp nicely:
And we've made it, just in the nick of time because the guests will begin arriving very soon:
Here's the whole thing out of the oven:
In one last step, we peel off the bacon and start carving the bird-roll. Last year the bacon wrapping was basically inedible because it had been baked rock-hard (along with the wings and less meaty parts of the drumsticks), but this year's slices were thicker, fattier and held up much better:
We had somewhere close to 25 people in our apartment to share in the feast (and bring side dishes and desserts) and the portions worked out just about perfectly! The only problem is that it was such a hit, we'll have to be careful about invitations for next year... everyone who tried it last weekend are already looking forward to the next one, and folks who couldn't make it heard such rave reviews about it that they can't wait to try it now, too!
Yum!
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