My New Lens Is A Phone

I was going to buy a ultra-wide-angle lens for my Fuji XE-1 that I used to use as a carry camera. But the 10-24mm zoom lens is quite large, which makes it not as desirable to carry when I’m also carrying the Bazooka on a 7D Mark II body, and the 70-200mm zoom lens a 5Ds body. I have been using my iPhone XE for all street photography and wide-angle photos, stitching together panoramas for ultra-wide-angle shots. I finally decided that since an iPhone 12 Mini was the same price as a Fuji 10-24mm lens, I might as well upgrade my iPhone to the iPhone 12 Mini. The 12 Mini is the same form factor as the old iPhone 5, which is my favorite style of iPhone case, and the camera has wide-angle and super-wide-angle. The iPhone 12 Pro has telephoto, also, but I have the Bazooka and the iPhone 12 is bigger than I like.

What’s really nice with the iPhone 12 Mini is the “Portrait” setting works for any abject or critter as you can see in the photos of the kitties and the America Rose above. The “Portrait” setting on my iPhone SE only worked on human faces. When I tried using it on the cats, or anything else, it said “No faces recognized” and would not take a photo. I’m really happy with the camera on the iPhone 12 Mini.

All photos below were shot with the Bazooka 400mm lens on a Canon 7D Mark II body.

Tiny butterfly.

Cats n Roses & Flowers & Sunsets

Spunk

Austrian Copper

Marble

Lady Banks

Glenda looking like our old Guildenstern.

Blue Iris

Loki doing the Classic Buffalo Crispy Wings.

Lilac

Sasha

Gwendolyn

Silver

Tiffany’s Tree, Gabriela’s Tree, Gigi’s Tree, Teagan’s Trees behind Gigi’s Tree, Susan’s Tree, Lavinia’s, Marina’s and Dale’s trees are blending in and Resa’s Tree on the Right.

Austrian Copper through Wisteria’s lavender mist.

Loki’s Beauty Rest

I recorded the music for Loki’s Beauty Rest in 2018. It’s a parody of Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath. I’ve been thinking about how to do a video for the parody for a long time, especially what to do with the long introduction and the meow meow solo. I finally came up with what I thought are decent solutions. Parody Lyrics at the end of the post.

Sunrise

Sunset

Loki’s Beauty Rest
Music: Jethro Tull
Arrangement: Timothy Price
Preformed by AWB

In the bustling catness
Loki needs his beauty rest
He’s the all-time snoozer
Awakened nonetheless

Oh, I hold the dish a scraping
Tie hanging off my brow
Spunk’s playing with the candle
And Loki won’t stop snoring
No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down

He sees those pens to knock off
From the table one by one
He doesn’t have to pretend
In bed he’s having fun

While I’m standing in the corridor
Cameras hanging on my knees
Spunk’s playing with the candle
And Loki won’t stop snoring
No he won’t come down

[meow meow solo]

He hears the Spunk a howling
Killing lids as he calls
Silver the all-time whiner
Has gone and lost his balls

Oh, he licks his ridiculous rival
Both lying in the sun
I think Spunk’s playing with the candle and
Loki won’t stop snoring
No, he won’t come down

No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down


Kitten Party

Kitten Party Lyrics by Timothy Price, Music by Rick Nelson

Since I worked for 10.5 hours moving stuff, building shelves and desks, and then another hour testing and troubleshooting the new VPN, I’m posting another parody. Lyrics are below the photo of a kitten party.

The kittens partying with Sasha.

Kitten Party
Lyrics by Timothy Price
Music by Rick Nelson

I went to a Kitten party to see my old cool cats
A chance to purr, meow and spray and chase some rats
When I got to the kitten party the black cats looked the same
Jumping and bouncing all around they were really quite insane

The kittens are uptight now, they’re rolling all around
You see, the old cats they growl and hiss, so the kittens want a kiss

Tomcats came from miles around, the kittens were in heat
Oh no there’s a bobcat, who we don’t want to meet
The kittens ran all over, pouncing on their treats
Taxidermied mice with silly eyes looking like mousie freaks

The kittens are uptight now, they’re energy abounds
You see, the old cats want pay to play because the kittens they are strays

Kittens-meow-meow-meow, Kittens-meow-meow-meow

The kittens have some odd times, but they don’t really care
They attack one another, with tactics that seem unfair
Tried making up a kitty haiku, seven, five, and three
They knocked the syllables out like Spunk, quite hilariously

The kittens are uptight now, they’re jumping up and down
You see, the old cats they don’t want to see because the kittens won’t let them be

Kittens-meow-meow-meow, Kittens-meow-meow-meow-meow
Kittens-meow-meow-meow-meow, Meow-meow-meow

Someone opened up the side door and in stepped Bucky cat
Followed by Garfield, Odie, Satchel Pooch, and a great big spat!
If you’re going to a kitten party, you will get all scratched up
You think you’ll make it out alive, all I have to say is good luck

The kittens are uptight now, they pounce in one bound
You see, the old cats all they do is frown, and slap the kittens around

Kittens-meow-meow-meow-meow, Kittens-meow-meow
Kittens-meow-meow-meow

The kittens are uptight now, they’re meowing all around
You see, the old cats won’t play with anyone else, so the kittens play with themselves

La La La La Llorona

I presented my paper Quinientos años de lágrimas: The persistence of La Llorona — 16th Century to Present at The 52nd Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association this afternoon. The convention was scheduled to be held in Philadelphia, PA, but like so many things in our world of covid cooties, the organizers decided it was best to do a virtual conference. That was a wise decision, but it certainly changes the dynamics of a conference. I thought it was fitting to add the above parody I posted last year.

The last warning sliver moon in March.Sasha: “Do you like my La Llorona eyes?”

Marble: “No Sasha! This is how you make La Lorona eyes!”

Neither of you has it right. You need to be crying. Sasha & Marble: “Cats don’t cry! Stupid La Llorona!”

Silver: “La Llorona? Meh!”

Spunk: “No stinking La Llorona will get to me behind these bars!”

Glenda: “What’s that you say?”

“La la la La Llorona?”

Loki: “I’m not impressed!”

“Talk to the paws and claws La Llorona!”

Gwendolyn: “Yeah! Talk to the paws!”

Daddy Owl: “I don’t see no stinking La Llorona! What’s that you say? La Llorona can shapeshift into an owl? Ha ha ho ho hoo who. That’s a Hoot!”

Beaker Loves Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

“Where’s my blueberry buttermilk pancake PapaRATzo?”

Breaker, our 29-year-old Gold Cap Conure, goes nuts over blueberry buttermilk pancakes. He also loves Susan’s blueberry pound cake. I’m thinking that Beaker has genetic memory of his feathered forefathers going out to treetop IHOPs for Sunday breakfast or Sunday Brunch where they enjoyed blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker also loves coffee, donuts, hamburgers, French fries, pizza, huevos rancheros, and similar fare, all of which he rarely gets. But still, the fact that he likes those various types of foods so much leads me to believe he has a genetic memory of a whole feathered fast food industry high in the tops of rainforest canopies.

Beaker’s pancake is the little one on the lower left side of the griddle.

“I’m still waiting!”

“About time you got my order off the griddle.”

“Yum!”

“Yum! Yum!”

“Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum!”

It’s been a few years since Laurie made blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker thoroughly enjoyed his pancake as I did mine. The pancakes were delicious.

Glenda and Gwendolyn were not impressed with blueberry buttermilk pancakes. They were more interested in lying around and looking cute.

Feline Follies

Loki shapeshifting

MarbleGlenda

Silly Silver

Glenda reaching out to touch the phone

Sasha on a cold day enjoying warm air blowing on her.

Gwendolyn being a bit intense.

Spunk chilling on a warm countertop.

Lokii: “Leave me be stupid paparazzo!”

Of Cloudscapes and Cats

The clouds over the Sandias this morning made beautiful cloudscapes, some with rainbow colors made by the rising sun reflecting off ice crystals in the thin clouds. Other clouds cast shadows as the sun rose above them.

Sasha

Silver

Loki

Spunk

Gwendolyn

Intermission

Marble

Ice crystals reflecting colors in the clouds.

Glenda

Moon in the western sky before sunrise.

Moon behind Mama Owl before sunrise

Mama Owl at sundown

Daddy Owl watching the birds flit around below him at sunset.

Mama Owl hopped over to another branch so I could get a shot of her from the levee after sunset.