Color Addict

Proof that Autumn is still a kitten as she scales the 6' door I thought I had so cleverly put up to try to acclimate my two kitties without them literally pulling each other's hair out. But Autumn is a “can do” personality and where there's a will, boy, I mean, girl, is there a way.

Naturally, I am impressed by her acrobatics. I had to take some pictures. It's hard to discourage her and want her to stay for a photo shoot at the same time.

Not sure what to do next in this experiment. My helpful landlord, with whom I discussed the possibility of her scaling this even when we were putting it up, suggested putting plexiglass on the surface, which she won't be able to grip. I guess I'm going to have to if I want to keep up this experiment. I'm not ready to give up yet, although I also found a cat behaviorist I may consult and I also have a new book coming that may suggest some ways I haven't thought of to try to acclimate these two divas. At any rate, they keep up the entertainment quotient.

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Never mind. She found it.

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Have you by any chance seen Autumn's yellow ball?

She knows she had it recently but can't remember where she put it. If you see it, could you please let her know. She really likes it. Reminds me of when my mom would look for her glasses which were invariably on top of her head. We'd have a good laugh about it. I once walked around looking for the phone when it was in my hand so my mom taught me well.

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A friend sent me a bunch of the-price-of-gas-is-ridiculous cartoons and this was my favorite.

Why do we accept these prices? At least we can still laugh about it. 

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Watch an original approach to art, life and fun that took place recently in New York's Grand Central Station.

Thanks to my friend, Jack, who told me about this. There's a talk about this wacky and well-planned event at the New Museum Friday at 7 p.m. for eight bucks. The museum just opened this winter on the Bowery — an area that used to be terrible and is now thriving, so appropriate and consciously chosen for this reason for the site. The New Museum is sponsoring art that goes in new directions. How great. 

Posted by Katie at 12:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the first time in a while, I went out in a costume on Halloween:

In case you can't tell (duh), I'm a wood nymph. I had gotten this costume that I love, complete with (working) wings for a party two years ago that never happened. So this year, I just thought, I'm putting it on and going some place. That place ended up being Union Hall in Brooklyn, which I mentioned a few entries back as having fun and good-looking bocce ball courts. Well, did we ever have a good time (my friend and I). The place was very full but because it's so big, there was still enough room to walk around without it getting uncomfortable. It was like being in a party at a beautiful mansion. The costumes were fantastic, from Marie Antoinette to Clark Kent to pirates to many original oddball combos that were hilarious — lots of great wigs with huge hair — the inventiveness was satisfying. Everyone was friendly and you could easily talk to strangers because the costumes were a good introduction. About a fifth or so of the crowd wasn't wearing costumes and even that was fun, making it an odder and more eclectic scene. It was a perfect party and I'm so glad I went out. I'm definitely doing this again.

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Once again, I've got kitties in my underwear.

Here is Autumn making herself at home in my underwear drawer, which is actually a shelf in a large cabinet. The kitties can't resist jumping in there when they get a chance, which isn't too often, as I know what they're up to when they're nearby and the door is open. That mess of black socks and stockings in the back is Autumn's handiwork too. I can't say I blame them since it's a soft pile of fabric and holds the added allure of being somewhat off limits. You can't even see her back there, as it's dark but the camera lit her up with its flash, revealing her lackadaisical yet mischievous attitude. I'm very glad she's making herself at home so quickly and can't believe she was out in the alley just a little over a week ago. She has adjusted completely to in-home life, instantly. Next thing I know, she'll be trying on my evening sandals and charging midnight deliveries from Murray's Sturgeon Shop. Sounds like fun to me.

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Cells from “Red Hot Riding Hood” with an excited Wolfie and a provocative Red 

The short starts out to tell the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale with typically drawn characters. The cast starts complaining that the story has been told this way a thousand times. The narrator relents and unveils the risque new version “Red Hot Riding Hood.” Red is a sexy lounge singer, Wolfie is a debonair “dog” and Grannie is a hot-to-trot after-hours club owner. Red is based on several leading Hollywood glamour girls of the time (Betty Grable's body, Heddy Lamour's hair, moments of Katherine Hepburn's voice). Wolfie wants to devour Red but Red fends him off, liberated as she is; Grannie wants to devour Wolfie and cartoon hijinks ensue. Cute and silly, the cartoon still represents a morality tale of sorts. Wolfie is overtaken by his passions and dies trying to conquer them. Poor Wolfie.

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Voiced and written by Lenny Bruce, the animated cartoon, Thank You Mask Man, follows the adventures of a masked hero. Mask Man's fans are trying to thank him but he keeps galloping off so they start to get mad. Then he decides to bask in their adoration and misses helping out on a crime. Then he decides to check out homosexuality and the fans are grossed out. It's very cutely drawn.

Stills from Lenny Bruce's co-created (with John Magnuson) hilarious animated film “Thank You Mask Man” from the 1960s

Lenny Bruce strongly shaped what we consider funny today. Leading comedians George Carlin and Richard Pryor credit him for influencing them. Lenny Bruce is famous for being funny in a groundbreaking way (bringing in current events and ideas), for using obscenities, for having a six-month trial (for obscenity charges but having also upset authorities in the Catholic Church, the police and elsewhere) and for dying young (age 40) of a morphine overdose.

Lenny Bruce appeared on TV only six times. In 2003, 37 years after his death, he was granted a posthumous pardon for his obscenity conviction by New York Governor George Pataki. It strikes me as ironic to see the small button at the lower right corner of the YouTube screen: "flag as inappropriate." I agree that it needs to be there but it's funny to see it sitting there calmly below this Lenny Bruce cartoon, which no one would call inappropriate today.

More great stills from the original “Thank You Mask Man” Lenny Bruce cartoon 

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