Meet Casper, the Traveling Cat

"Pet cat catches the daily bus for four years"
telegraph.co.uk (July 30, 2009)

"A pet cat has caught the same bus regularly for four years.

"Casper, which is 12 years old, boards the No3 service at 10.55am from outside his home in Plymouth, Devon, and travels the entire 11-mile route before returning home about an hour later.

"On the route, the cat passes an historic dockyard and naval base, a city centre, several suburbs and the city's red light district.

"He has been making the journey for so long that all First Bus drivers have now been told to look out for him to ensure he gets off at the right stop. ..."

His owner named him Casper because he'd disappear for hours at a time.

The Telegraph article gives a pretty good look at this particular facet of an older cat's lifestyle. Casper prefers the back seat, and "is quite quick for his age" - which comes in handy, when getting into a vehicle designed for much larger creatures.

I'm particularly drawn to this article because Casper looks a little like Boots - who was gray in most of the places where Casper is black - who was a big part of my childhood and youth.

Chad Ruble and a Blast from the Past: Bowling, Beer and NASCAR in Groovy Black and White

"And Finally: Chad’s new angle"
Oddly Enough blog, Reuters (August 1, 2009)

"This week Chad Ruble, our guy who presents strange video clips, unveils his new 'virtual studio.'

I don't completely understand it, but it seems that now, instead of doing his show...."

Another tip of the hat to Oddly Enough. The Lemming doesn't often do two micro-reviews in a row on posts from the same source: but this is odd and interesting enough to warrant making an exception.

Back to Oddly Enough, Chad Ruble, and what looks like a very - creative? - approach to set design. The Oddly Enough blog, naturally, does a fine job of making fun of what looks to me like a sort of throwback to sixties styling, with the color taken out and a touch of NASCAR thrown in.

I remember when inserting the image of a person - often at an angle - over an obviously-artificial (we say "virtual" now) background was kinda-now, kinda-wow, and very groovy video technology.

What puzzles me a bit is whether those things behind Chad Ruble are rumpled bowling pins and a rumpled beer bottle, or rumpled bowling pins morphing into beer bottles.

More High Fashion: Blindfolds on the Models?!

"High fashion, it's all in the execution?"
Oddly Enough blog, Reuters (July 31, 2009)

"Blog Guy, please let me jump in here quickly because I have special fashion needs which are fairly urgent.

"Okay, I've never heard of urgent fashion needs, but go on...."

Hats off to Oddly Enough for once more making the Lemming's live a bit easier.

Although making fun of what comes out of the psyches of fashion designers provides about the same challenge as shooting fish in a barrel, I enjoy a look at the silly side of humanity now and again.

I have no idea of what profound, sophisticated statement Argentine designer Verolvaldi was trying to make with these - veils? - but the do look like blindfolds. I'm going to leave that thought right there at the street corner, walk on and pretend I didn't notice.

What's genuinely interesting about fashion and fashion designers, from my point of view, is that there seem to be enough people among Earth's 6,000,000,000 or so who actually buy this stuff. Or pay to look at it.

I guess P. T. Barnum may have been right.

Related posts:

• "Clothing of the Future: 2000 as seen in the 1930s"
  (June 26, 2009)
• "Tetris Necklaces, Keychains, Wall Hangings - - - Will it Never End?"
  (June 6, 2009)