I’m still trying to figure out this new digital camera.
I think the jpegs take up too much memory and I need to figure out how to compress them down to a workable and downloadable size.
If anyone knows about the finer details of digital photography, email me.
I’m all ears.
I’ll leave you with several new pics.
Look for more once I figure out just what the hell is going on.
Maybe I need to look into Flickr…

~m

Here’s a good shot of the little guy’s belly.
Bengals generally have spotted bellies.

A good shot of his marbled coat.

He also likes to stand and look out the window.

The following is a meme I saw at Alabaster Crippens blog and thought it looked like fun and found it oddly creative.
It’s all about what someone wants to know about you.
It’s revealing and quite personal and the charming Mr. Crippens has graciously come up with five fascinating questions.
For those of you that visit me on a regular basis you may think you know how I’ll answer…then again, maybe not.
Be sure to visit ‘Alabaster Crippens Doesn’t Know What’s Going On’ for one hell of a ride.
Now onto the questions. . .

1. When were the last time you cried and the last time you laughed? (I mean really cried and really laughed…a proper belly laugh)

The last time I really cried was the day of my mother’s funeral.
Emotionally, I was fine at the wake and hell; I gigged the night she died.
Knowing her as I did she would have wanted the show to go on.
I learned of her passing on the way to my gig. Read ‘Angel’.
I was doing alright at the church until afterwards when we walked outside into the bright July sunshine.
That’s when I heard ‘Danny Boy’ being played by bagpipes.
That lonely and haunting song on such a day opened up the faucets for me.
I cried for myself, a father who was too far gone mentally to even attend, my wife and daughters for all they’d been through and witnessed.
But most of all I cried for a special woman that didn’t deserve the biological fate that consumed her heart and soul before leaving behind a duplicate husk for us to remember her by.

I was watching TV several weeks ago when I clicked on a stand-up comedian named
Jim Gaffigan.
Usually, I watch for a few minutes before moving on to the Food Network hoping Giada DiLaurentis is doing something creative like jello wrestling with kittens.
But Gaffigan floored me and delivered multiple belly laughs so I continued to watch.
The routine was called “Beyond the Pale” and had me almost crying. (my wife, too)
After the show was over I figured I’d check ITunes to see if they had anything by this guy. Turns out they had the audio for ‘Pale’, the show I’d just watched.
I think I pulled a groin muscle leaping up to get out my credit card.

2. What do you value most in your marriage?

This is difficult simply because there are a vast number of appropriate answers that fit.
If I had to choose one thing it would be the fact that we are each other’s best friend.
We embrace the notion of compromise in our marriage, the day to day ‘give and take’ that any successful marriage must have in order to survive.
On my wife’s behalf I will say that over the years she’s had more to contend with regarding my life. I’m a creative being which makes me moody and a general pain in the ass sometimes, but every time I need her, I turn around and she’s there.
I’ve come to believe that’s what friends do.

3. Your house is on fire…you’re the only one inside…what do you grab before you run outside?

I’m thinking this is the easiest of all the questions. I’d take our three cats: Sherlock, Opus and Guinness. If I had no cats the only thing that comes to mind are a set of rosary beads that once belonged to my grandfather (Mom’s side). They’re archaic but stunning.

4. Would you rather be deaf or blind?

I’ll take ‘blind’ for 1000, Mr. Crippens.
Seriously, if I were deaf this is a partial list of sounds I would never have the chance to hear:
* my wife’s voice
* my daughter’s laughing
* the words “I love you”
* music
* thunder
* the ocean
* the wind
* the sound of rain
* a cat’s purr
* Michael McDonald’s voice
* birds
And on and on and on, ad nauseum
I don’t think I’d be a very happy camper, do you?

5. How would you like to be remembered?

There are the obvious things; a good husband, a fair and loving Dad, a dear friend that was always willing to listen.
I want people to smile at my wake and say, remember when Michael did this or Michael did that…
I would want people to feel their lives were changed (for the better) in some small way because of me.
I hope people will smile if they see a bumper sticker on my casket that reads:
‘Promoted to Subterranean Truffle Inspector’
Hopefully, they’ll laugh and say, “Man, he was nuts.”

~m (atilde)

ps. {AC, the post pic is especially for you. . . grinning}

Cats are just like this.
God love ‘em.
Have a great weekend, y’all…

~m

A pic of a deeply sleeping Guinness before I join him.
I plan on buying a decent digital camera with this year’s tax refund so I can
keep those of you interested in the growth of our little tiger up to date.
To see his marbled coat change should be a real treat.
We learned the other day that Bengals have unusually large paws.
Found out that Guinness has frickin’ baseball gloves.
A bit odd in proportion to his body.
He’ll grow into them no doubt.
Bought a laser light for the cats today.
Damn, it’s funny to watch them chase it.
They exercise, I laugh. Good stuff.
Long day, folks.
And I’m tired of thinking…
Night all.

~m

ps. Happy Birthday, J.M.M (17)
(luvya, Dad)

As promised, several pictures of Guinness, our bengal.

No pic series would be complete without at least one brew.

A nice pic of his marbled coat which will ‘stretch’ as he gets older.

Guinness doing his best ‘Kilroy was here’ impression.

My little boy…

So far, so good.
A bit of hissing between the three of them but that’s to be expected.
The quality of the pictures is so-so.
Maybe it’s time for a new digital camera…

~m

What started off as a StumbleUpon hit turned into the real deal yesterday.
My wife sent me a link several weeks ago regarding bengal cats, a link she found surfing around with StumbleUpon.
Here’s a short blip from Wikipedia:
The Bengal cat is a relatively new breed of domestic housecat (Felis silvestris catus) developed to have a gentle and friendly temperament, while exhibiting the markings (such as spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly), and body structure reminiscent of the wild Asian Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). In other words, a Bengal cat has a desirable ‘wild’ appearance with a gentle domestic cat temperament.

The little guy we got yesterday is a marbled bengal. His body appears mainly black with some light tan streaks in between. As he grows older and his body grows longer the ‘marbling’ stretches offering up a look that’s wild and exotic.
After tossing around a gazillion names my wife said, “How about Guinness?” (ironically, I was cracking one open at the time) The name stuck and we now have a new addition to the family.
The girls are head over heels with this little tiger and suffice to say he’s not feeling the least bit lonely. The pic above isn’t our Guinness but looks eerily similar. I plan on posting actual pictures as soon as he’s comfortable in his new home. (below is a full grown marbled bengal. God, they’re cool)
So, Welcome to fam, Guinness!
You’re Grrrrrrrreat!

~m