Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

In my day, never was longer.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Second rate reporter says what?

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Late Night Open Thread

Late Night Open Thread

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Relaxing with the girls and Steve and trying to get better at this whole photography thing. Here is what I did tonight:

pose

pose2

pose3

He’s really an easy subject to work with- he appears to like to have his picture taken, which makes sense, because he is just a magnificent beast. The funniest thing about him is he has an inaudible purr. The only time I know he is purring is when he jumps into bed, puts his torso and head on my arm and his paws on my chest (so I don’t move too quick and if I do I get cut), and then I can feel the vibration of his throat on my forearm.

Regardless, such a good kitty. And I think I am really getting better with the pictures.

Reader Interactions

51Comments

  1. 1.

    The Dangerman

    …he appears to like to have his picture taken…

    He can tell his buddies “check out the stupid human tricks I can make this Dude do”

    /Letterman

  2. 2.

    Lynn Sutherland

    These are just beautiful–everything you say about him is visible in these photos. How I love your pet posts–they keep me going.

  3. 3.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    Yes, your pictures are getting better, but you also have a highly photogenic subject there.

  4. 4.

    PurpleGirl

    The pictures are getting better. His face is clear and in focus in these pictures.

    He’s gorgeous and floofy.

  6. 6.

    ruemara

    You are! And his face is just adorbs. #2 is the best exposure but the pose is best in #3. I just want to give him cuddles and kisses and toe pad smooches.

  8. 8.

    John Cole

    @ruemara: Can you believe I found him in a shelter? Just being all, well, that, and everything? And just three days after Tunch was killed? I swear fatbody sent him to me and that is why I love the Tunch spot so much on Steve.

    And do we all now agree he is a Steve? He’s really just the best fucking cat and I love him to death.

  10. 10.

    Jane2

    He looks just fabulous in all three pics! My Phil purrs the same way…maybe it’s a long-haired boy thing.

  13. 13.

    Tommy

    I got this this on my DVR. Called “Real World of Peter Gabriel.” Folks throwing their fists up in the air. Signing songs of protest. You can Google this, and you should.

  15. 15.

    Suzanne

    He is just gorgeous. So fluffy and grand. I think Caesar or Khan may have been a better name for someone so imperious, but you know him best.

    The photos are better. What kind of camera are you using? Maybe get a SLR.

  16. 16.

    Tommy

    @Suzanne: My niece has never seen my cat. She lives (four years old) in a household with a huge dog and two cats. I am like here is my cat good looking, showing her pics on my phone.

    My cat runs my household! I went on to say I got nothing against her cats, but my cat is in your face and wants attention 24/7. She was like WTF, she sleeps with you every night? Yes. Oh come over for a day and she will park herself on your lap and exacted so much attention at times it can become taxing :).

  17. 17.

    patty \

    he is really a beauty, john. merry christmas! btw, speaking of shelters, my husband and i are currently living in s korea (he is active duty air force) and you would not believe what you see in pet stores here. puppies and kittens obviously sick and way too young to be weaned. i saw a couple of puppies in a window last night that couldn’t have been over 3 weeks old. just so freaking depressing.

  18. 18.

    Karen in GA

    Those are the sweetest Steve pictures yet.

    Phoebe, the World’s Most Affectionate Cat. Purrs like a leaf blower. Met her when she was a kitten in a shelter, hours from euthanasia. She was in a carrier next to the table where they were going to put her to sleep. I held her up to look for signs of illness (runny eyes, etc.) — and she stuck her head forward and licked my nose.

  21. 21.

    Warren Terra

    The pictures are getting better. Next is to work on composition, and to avoid excessive backlighting.

  22. 22.

    jl

    @Anne Laurie: Thanks. I’m glad someone else knows the truth.

    Beautiful cat and beautiful pics. I don’t think there is any problem with backlighting. That glow is Steve/Mungo’s nimbus.

  26. 26.

    Tommy

    @Tommy: Oh I should say we used to do orientation. You know the use of a compass. Point to point. I recall like the early 70s and a VW Bus. It was fun.

  27. 27.

    Napoleon

    Re the backlighting, if he was using his flash it would not be that big of an issue. But yeah, he has to work on lighting.

  28. 28.

    Jebediah, RBG

    It’s nice to be getting a better look at Steve as Cole’s photographying skills improve. Number three really shows a big personality!
    Somewhat off the cat topic – after our Christmas dinner and presents and whatnot, we watched a French movie (subtitles and everything!) called “The Intouchables” and really liked it. You will too. You should watch it.

  29. 29.

    Calming influence

    That 3rd shot is the best one – Steve looks like he’s about to put a paw upside your head.

  31. 31.

    Luci

    Steve IS a glorious creature! And, I do believe you got him in a shelter. I once picked up the most wonderful kitten in the world on the highway. She was so cold and starved that she could not run away from me, and so I got her and nursed her, and she was absolutely glorious.

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Mmmmm mmmm, kitteh. They’re not just for breakfast anymore.

    Bwahahaahaahaaa (evil Snidely Whiplash laugh)….

  34. 34.

    Betty Cracker

    Your photography skills have improved leaps and bounds. Steve looks like Brett Favre in these photos, particularly the last one. I’m not saying he should be named Brett Favre, just that he resembles him somehow. You can just see a thought bubble over that last picture that says, “You expect ME to train Aaron Rodgers? That’s not my fucking job.”

  36. 36.

    Manyakitty

    Gorgeous boy! All three of mine are Petsmart rescues, not exactly shelter cats, but close. They ARE the best kittehs ever.

  37. 37.

    WereBear

    All of mine are rescues: left in a cardboard box on a pet shop doorstep, picked up by the police as evidence of animal cruelty, taken from mother too soon and nearly died, and found abandoned in a field at the age of 3 weeks, respectively.

    It should not astonish anyone that rescue cats are fantastic cats, because most cats are abandoned, treated badly, and barely make it to a home with the thinnest of margins.

    We should be astonished that, as a society, we put up with such blatant cruelty. Fortunately, there’s a growing number of people who will not.

  38. 38.

    Hunter

    I always had to sneak up on Ben to take his picture — otherwise, he would walk right up and stick his nose on the lense, trying to figure out what was in there.

  41. 41.

    stinger

    I want #3, framed. All are good, but I love the one where he’s looking right at me. He looks a lot like my Gina, but her chest is all white, not just the love patch, and her feet and hind legs are white as well. She doesn’t have the bent whisker, but instead one whisker on each side curves up like a bandit’s.

  42. 42.

    MikeInSewickley

    Yes, the pictures are getting much better.

    And that mane is magnificent!

    I just watched that Bigs Cats and Boxes video and saw the Lynx playing with the box.
    Now I remember why I called the semi-feral Maine Coon cat we’ve been feeding Lynx. Maine Coons just remind me of them.

    Nice pics for a snowy day.

  44. 44.

    vtr

    Steve outshines our M. C. cat, as gorgeous as ours is. His name is Nikko, though often call him Fabio, after the Italian model, because he has long hair, he’s beautiful, and he’s dumb. Don’t tell him that, or he’ll pee on our carpet again.

  45. 45.

    Matt McIrvin

    You need more light in general; when the subject is backlit, it’s good to have another light coming from the front to provide a bit of “fill”. The flash can do that, but cats as subjects can also create terrible glowing-eye problems with a flash that is too close to the lens.

    Brighter lighting will also give you pictures with less blur and grain.

    These pictures capture Steve well, though, and he’s a beautiful cat. I like his mane.

  47. 47.

    jayboat

    Cole, glad you are taking the photo thing a bit more seriously. You gots some world-class subject matter.
    Your technique is most definitely improving. I guess all the pointing and mocking from the peanut gallery had some effect.

    8-]

    May I suggest a bit of post-processing for your next phase of photoskool?
    Sometimes all that’s needed is a slight tweak in exposure, saturation or contrast to make a huge diff.
    This could use a bit of noise reduction as well, but I like the details in his fur.

    Also, Adobe is currently running a special of 9.99/mo to sign up for Photoshop and Lighroom in the creative cloud.
    Just sayin…

  49. 49.

    coin operated

    Love the pics JC. Keep ’em coming…I’ve always loved Maine Coon cats but cannot have one with me at this time.

  50. 50.

    Abo gato

    What I love best are the dark, dotted lines that run sideways away from his nose. He looks so mysterious.

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