Turn of the (20th) Century Cat Meme

The Original Grumpy Cat?

Sometimes I feel self conscious of the fact that I am a cat person.  Well let me rephrase that.  I am self-conscious about the way that other people will react when they find out that I am a cat person.  There seems to be such a stigma about people who own cats.  Somehow owning a cat automatically means you are two steps from crazy.  And if you are single and own a cat you are just one swift breeze away from going down to the local shelter and smuggling out a duffle bag of kittens.

I find it interesting to note that this stigma is still around despite the fact that cat's own the internet.  Without cat's the internet would never have gotten the hold that it has on the world.  Of course maybe that is part of why the stigma has been maintained.  I mean cat videos, pictures, and memes don't upload themselves.  And while cats paws are perfectly designed for catching mice they are not designed to run a computer mice.  Or maybe this stigma has really come into it's onw since the internet became ubiquitous?

I remember being young and knowing and fearing becoming the "crazy cat lady."  But I wonder when this came around?  I mean is this just a hold out from when owning a cat meant that you were a witch?  So strange...

I few weeks ago, a friend and I went to see the Pittock Mansion.  It is an amazing mansion build in the west hills overlooking Portland.  The mansion is amazingly beautiful and suprisingly homey.  Downstairs there is a painting of a fluffy white cat which looks perturbed about being forced to sit for a painting.  When I saw that painting I couldn't help but giggle.  I felt some vindication in the fact that these very wealthy people had spent the money to commission a painting of their cat.   I felt slighly less self-conscious of all of the pictures I have taken of my cats over the years. 

At least one of us is comfortable in this picture. 

Annual Cake Decorating Practice

Rosina's Comedy/Tragedy birthday cake 2013

When I moved back to Oregon in 2006 I needed something to entertain myself so I decided to take cake decorating classes.  My mom had decorated all of my cakes growing up and they were always amazing.  She had all of the cake decorating kits and I decided I wanted to officially learn.  So I took three courses at the local craft store and I can decorate a pretty decent cake, I just don't very often.

In fact I seem to really only decorate a cake once a year, for my friend Rosina's birthday.  It's so interesting that she is the only person that I really decorate a birthday cake for.  My other friends don't get one, my parents don't get one, my coworkers don't get one...  I think it's just kind of become tradition.

It started when Rosina moved back to Oregon after a few years away (there must be something in the coming back to Oregon that inspires cake.) and it was coming up on her first birthday back here.  We were going to have a party and I had recently had my cake decorating classes and I wanted to test my skills.  So I asked her what she wanted her birthday cake to be.  Her response: A shark.  So I devised a plan and created a shark cake.  The next year it was Cherry Blossoms cupcakes.  Then a whale's tale. And last year was a cake version of one of her paintings that she had just sold.

This year when I asked her what she wanted she said, "Well the year was had some really great moments and some really crappy moments, what about the comedy/tragedy masks.  That seems appropriate."  So I set out to make a comedy/tragedy cake.

While this year the initial aesthetics are not particularly stunning the cake ended up having a lot of symbolism.  I decided that since we were showing the light and the dark of the year that the cake should reflect it with more than just the design.  I decided that the cake it self would be both light and dark, chocolate and vanilla alternating.  Additionally, I chose to create the masks in yellow and blue and then create the border by mixing the two colors.

Like I said the cake is not as aesthetically impressive as some of my past cakes but it is steeped in  symbolism.  Maybe I should find some reason to practice more than once a year.  Anyone want cake?

The inside of the cake -
I was pretty pleased with the outcome of this aspect of the cake.

 

Action shot of the cake fulfilling it's destiny.

 

 

A Sign of Spring

A lamb looking as a lamb should look.

I work for Portland Community College.  This is the first week of spring term and for the first week of the terms I work a few days at a campus.  Earlier this week I worked at the Rock Creek Campus.  The Rock Creek campus houses the Veterinary Technology program.  To support the Vet Tech program the campus has a farm.  One of the highlights of the year at the Rock Creek Campus is when lambing starts. I used to work at Rock Creek and they would always send out emails letting everyone know that the lambs had come.     

Since I was at the campus and it was that time of year I headed out during my lunch to look at the animals.  There were a bunch of lambs and of course they were adorable.  But the farm animal that really tugs at my heart strings is the calves.  There is something about their little pink noses and their gangly little legs.  I just find them adorable.   

I don’t have much more to say beyond that. Baby animals = adorableness.  

Curious Baby Cow

Baby Cows looking cute way in the back.

Evaluation of Easter Candy

 

 The Next Evolutionary Step in Easter Candy

Of all the candy holidays that there are, Halloween is of course the best.  But the best candy is Easter candy. For the other candy holidays the candy is just regular candy in holiday colors.  Easter is the only holiday that has candy that is only available at this time of year.  Once the holiday passes those candies disappear into the vault only to emerge in the spring again.  Of courses the best of these is the Cadbury Crème Egg which is the most exquisite confection in creation.  

I could write a dissertation about the perfection that is the Cadbury Crème Egg but I want to save that for when I actually have to write a dissertation.  Just know that I think that it is the most perfect confection. Once in college I bought enough crème eggs to fill two shoeboxes, enough to last me the entire year.  Unfortunately, I ended up keeping them for two years and threw most away. Every time I went to eat one I had the thought “If I eat them they will be gone.”  Lesson learned.  To get Crème Eggs year round I just need to move to the source. I knew that the UK was the place that I was meant to be but when I studied abroad in London I found that they sell Crème Eggs year round. The dream was cemented.  

Besides the divine Cadbury Crème Egg there are other things that make Easter Candy the most amazing candy.  For example the egg shaped candy bars.  I enjoy Snickers and Reese Peanut Butter Cups any day of the year.  But the egg shaped Snickers and Peanut Butter Cups have the perfect ratio of all of the ingredients creating the perfect balance of flavors for the pallet.  

Then there are the Jelly Beans.  I love Jelly Belly’s which are of course available all year long and the best Jelly Beans known to man.  But at Easter other companies get into the Jelly Bean game.  We get Jolly Ranchers, Starburst, Nerds, Life Savers, etc.  Any company that sells any kind of fruit flavored candy the other 11 months of the year jumps on the Jelly Bean band wagon.  This is great for Jelly Bean fans.  I mean the other 11 months of the year we have Jelly Belly’s and flavorless balls of gummy color to choose from.  It is fun to have a variety. 

Finally we have Peeps.  People either love or hate Peeps.  I happen to love them.  I mean really what is not to love; its spun sugar dipped in sugar.  Peeps have become a staple for all candy holidays which is fine with me.  But they are originally an Easter only candy so I am including them in here.   In their constant quest to improve the people at Peeps moved from chicks to include rabbits, hearts, Christmas trees, ghosts, etc.  They added flavors  and now they have created a Peep Pop. I mean what could be better than peeps on a stick.  Everything is better on a stick.