My favorite jewelry shops

For no reason I can think of, it occurred to me to post a list of my favorite jewelry shops. In general, I like them for their classic, inexpensive silver pieces.

♥ J.H. Breakell & Co., 132 Spring St., Newport, Rhode Island

♥ Down Under Jewelry, 479 Thames St., Newport, Rhode Island

♥ Village Silversmith, 20 Bearskin Neck, Rockport, Massachusetts

♥ Idee d’Arte, Via Leucosia 3, Positano, Italy

♥ Gioielleria Rita Innacoli, Corsa Italia 137, Sorrento, Italy

Winterslow and Nether Wallop

They really exist.

Human football

Best line in Kitten Bowl commentary:

Boomer Esiason (Feline Football League Commissioner): I’m actually looking at players like Beau Catson and Joe Fluffo for possible MVK [Most Valuable Kitten] contenders, based on their performance so far.

John Sterling: Now, Boomer, you were the 1988 MVP yourself, in human football.

Boomer Esiason: That’s right, but we just call it…football.

Looking forward to the bowl game

Before the massacre

Here’s a short film of the meeting of Charlie Hebdo in which they’re deciding on an image for the cover of the issue containing the Danish cartoons. I think much if not all of it was featured in the movie.



Heartbreaking.

Gardens by the Sea

This weekend I did the “Gardens by the Sea” walking tour in Stonington, Connecticut. It’s hosted by the Stonington Garden Club for only two days every three years, so we were lucky to have such a beautiful day. Colorful pictures seem a little incongruous on my blog, but pretty flowers are never a bad thing.

The last stop on the tour was the Stonington Community Center Children’s Garden. It was about as charming as a children’s garden could be:

I also noticed that this summer is a bicentennial:

Dear Petco: Bring back the old sponge ball cat toys!

One of the cats used to love playing with the old two-color soft balls. He would drop them down the stairs and chase them, carrying them back up in his mouth. If you threw one against a wall, he would jump up and catch it in the air on the rebound. When he was happily exhausted, he would drop the ball he'd been playing with in a shoe or bag. He played with them until they were falling apart, and it was always fun to get him a new set of four.

The new ones that you've been selling for the past several months are terrible. They're far too big and too hard for him to carry, and he's not interested in playing with them. They're also, incidentally, quite ugly. I don't know why you'd discontinue a great product and replace it with such a ridiculous one. I read the reviews on the Petco site, and every one I read says basically the same thing: "My cat loved the old ones and doesn't play with the new ones." I can't imagine any research was done before introducing the new version.

Please bring back the old ones!

Internet Cat Video Festival

This exists. Which is both hilarious and awesome. It appears Henri was the star of previous festivals. The third annual event will be held in Minnesota in August. You can nominate a video here – the deadline is May 1.

A blowfly goes into a bar...

Read the article for the punchline (how I love puns).

Day of the Dead assortment

First, vegan DOTD cookies (these are from last year, but they’re cute so who cares?):

(Thank you, you-know-who-you-are, for the link. :))

Second, Death in Paradise:



Beautiful scenery, entertaining stories, a recurring character who’s a lizard, and a fun soundtrack – what’s not to like? I’m disappointed to learn, belatedly, that Ben Miller is leaving during the third season. :(

Third…the Dead:

Vegan food! Women artists! Fish x-rays! More!

Had a delightful visit to Philadelphia recently. I was surprised at how much we were able to pack into a short stay. A few highlights:

Vedge. This is a place I’d read about in magazines and seen included in lists of top vegan restaurants. It had also been highly recommended by a local, and I was trying to keep my expectations in check so as to avoid disappointment. But there was no need, as the food was every bit as delicious as the rave reviews had led me to believe. The spring pea crêpe was one of the best single plates of food I’ve ever eaten (and I don’t even like peas!). An enjoyable experience in every way – I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts. Coincidentally, I saw The Art of the Steal recently



and so wasn’t keen on visiting the Barnes Collection or the big art museum (which would have been crowded and rushed for the amount of time we had anyway). PAFA is less heavily promoted, but it’s a real gem. The building itself is striking, and the collection of American art (including many works by former students and faculty) is a manageable size and well organized. My favorite galleries were the two at the far end, one featuring landscapes – the seascapes were of course the best – and the other dedicated to women artists. Apparently the Academy has been progressive in women’s art education, and I was happy to see such talent on display. I particularly liked the paintings by Susan Macdowell Eakins and Violet Oakley, and especially Eakins’ Girl in a Plaid Shawl (ca. 1880-85), which looks almost like a film still.



I often find the temporary contemporary exhibits at more traditional museums tedious, but I was impressed by Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore.

“X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out.” We also stopped into this exhibit at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. They’re beautiful x-ray photos of ocean animals from the Smithsonian’s Collection of Fishes (a wonderfully and tragically poetic name*). Unfortunately, the exhibit ends today.



I’ll probably post about a few other sites in Philadelphia, including my new favorite fountain – the cat fountain outside Betsy Ross’s house.

* I did worry about the practices of "collection" and x-raying....

Women in Secularism 2

Best wishes for Women in Secularism 2!

Enjoy, and make history!

Tabby vs. Tuxedo: The Battle of the Lap

It’s generally a symbiotic relationship. I love to be encatted, and they frequently oblige - tabby preferring the lap proper and tuxedo the lower leg. In the best case scenario, like when I’m stretched out on the sofa or in a chair with my feet up reading a book, this works out splendidly: the extended lap is shared and they can even snuggle. But if I’m using my laptop as Science intended – on my lap – there’s a situation. There simply isn’t room for both, and a battle can ensue.

So one afternoon last week, I was in a comfortable chair, feet on the ottoman, typing away. Tabby suddenly hopped up, marched into my lap – forcing me to push the laptop onto my shins - assumed the Sphinx position, and commenced purring.

Now, let me interject: tuxedo is a mischief maker. Not intentionally - he’s like the kid who starts a fire trying to see what’ll happen if you put various items in a microwave. He’s inveterately curious, hyper, and unpredictable, and I tend to worry when time goes by and I don’t know what he’s into or up to, especially if he’s in the land of feline delight and danger that is the cellar.

So my mistake was calling for him. Within minutes of his appearance, he spied tabby purring contentedly on my lap, and wanted in. After some thought, he jumped up onto the back of the chair and surveyed the terrain. His usual spot was gone, as I’d moved the laptop onto my shins and my lap was full of husky tabby. He proceeded to fake-innocently climb down my shoulder and pretend to look for space, stepping over tabby in a way he had to know would harsh tabby’s mellow and cause him to delap.



When tabby jumped down, as tuxedo no doubt anticipated, I moved the laptop back into its natural location, at which point tuxedo curled between my shins. But it was no sleep of the innocent. Tabby sat on the floor facing us, squinting annoyedly as only a cranky tabby whose meditative calm has been rudely disturbed can do.



He then stalked, a cat with a purpose, from the room. The look in his eye told me he hadn’t surrendered, but I couldn't anticipate his next move. Seconds later, we were startled as he flung his full 15 pooch-belly pounds against the cellar door, slamming it loudly and knowing we’d both jump at the noise.

Tuxedo scurried while I threw (er, placed gently) the laptop on the coffee table and ran to discover the source of the racket. After my pulse settled, I reclined once again in the chair. Shortly, tabby curled in my lap, leaving tuxedo in the cold.

Postscript: This wasn’t the end. Maneuvers continue.

"The Worst Noël"

(I was just mentioning that a friend gave me a gift of The French Cat, by Rachael Hale, which I adore.

She said when she saw it she thought of the link I’d sent her to one of Henri’s videos.)

I laughed so hard I cried

...and then noticed a cat looking at me with disdain.

Vacation's over

Was far too short.

An annoyance of vegans

That said, this was funny.

(This, too. It’s a fun blog.)

Richard Dawkins gets a haircut

Dawkins storms in, his visage inevitably angry.

“Hello, Richard,” offers the receptionist.

“I have a 12:00 appointment,” he snips self-importantly.

The stylist approaches. Dawkins sneers.

“I want it short. Abrupt.”

“Blunt?”

“Yes. Curt, if possible,” Dawkins spits. “I want flaps, indignant little flaps.”

“Militant, then?”

“No, not militant!” he barks. “I said indignant!”

“And I need to continue to be able to comb it back imperiously off my face.” Dawkins impatiently yanks a photo of Stalin from his pocket and shoves it at the stylist.

She looks at the picture. “So, would you like me to straighten the flaps?” she asks politely.

“No, you blithering idiot!” he growls, growing red in the face. “Leave them contemptuously tousled. They need to say, along with Cecil Rhodes, ‘Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life’.”

...

My hedonistic New York City weekend

A few weeks ago I popped over to New York for one of my unfortunately rare weekend visits. It was as decadent as ever, and full of new places to visit (at night – we didn’t get out much in the daylight) and recommend.

We started with a Friday early-evening gathering in the upstairs bar at Cienfuegos on Avenue A, a tropical oasis where they serve a variety of fizzy rum punches in punchbowls with ladles. Fun. We probably wouldn’t have ordered the second bowl had we known our companions would leave it all to us. (Oh, who am I kidding?) Thank Bacchus, we had some food there as well, which was surprisingly good.

We then moved on to Poco, an elegant and bustling tapas bar on Avenue B. I almost wished I hadn’t eaten at Cienfuegos, as the spinach and wild mushroom macaroni & cheese was one of the best things I’ve ever had. If I could be eating it now, I would. The mushroom truffle croquettes were also nice. I think there was champagne….

From there we went to meet friends at Jimmy, the rooftop bar at the James Hotel. It’s entered through a nondescript door, a velvet rope, and a few more what I can only describe as coolness checkpoints. I love this from the hotel’s page:

*JIMMY is accessible to all hotel guests until 9 pm. After 9 pm there is a controlled entrance on the ground floor. If JIMMY is closed for a private event or unable to accommodate, you are welcome to enjoy cocktails at The Treehouse Bar, The Garden, or David Burke Kitchen Bar. We apologize for our success as our limited rooftop space and popular demand limits the number of guests we can welcome at one time.

Even if you’re paying hundreds of dollars a night to stay at the hotel, you still might not make the cut. You can’t buy cool.

It is beautiful. In the summer there’s a small pool, which of course wasn’t open at this time of year. Possibly the best views of the city I’ve seen:


[photo from link just above]

Closed out the night at our usual dive, which shall remain anonymous. Didn’t go to Odessa for early-morning food, which would’ve been wise.

We had a lovely dinner on Saturday when we finally made it out at around 9. Can’t remember the name of the restaurant.

Sunday brunch was at Rayuela on Allen St. I loved the open design, the food was a step above (desserts were artful), and they had open cava sangria, which is a great deal especially as my glass was never unfilled.

Everyone was super nice, and my friends are always the best. I was reminded of why I love New York…and why it would be dangerous to live there :). For anyone planning a visit, I’d recommend any of the places I mentioned above unreservedly.

I love cats

I want them in a basket...and I want them to be on a rainbow...