Jim Sylvester
@jvsylvester
Austin, Texas. Rice Grad. Attorney; Board-certified in Civil Appellate. Huge USWNT fan. DS9 remains as the best Trek ever.
It's #Caturday in August so it's time to celebrate Cat Altair's 13th birthday! Her parents were feral and it shows. No other creature I've known derives such joy from the miracle of just being alive. Vet tells me she's in fine shape.
It's stunning how many alien worlds bear a strong resemblance to locations a reasonable distance away from 5555 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
Watch out for the painting of "Carlotta" that looks a great deal like young Kim Novak.
Yet the time they have with us is good for us and for them. It's all something like a temporary dream anyway. That I can be a source of love and warmth and food and safety for my cat *today* is a good thing. She's okay with it. Because I know our time has limits, I spoil her every chance I get.
More desirable than the wheeled A/C duct? I opt for the classic look and feel of the AMC Gremlin:
A few weeks back, someone posted a picture of Mirren as Morgana la Fay here on Bluesky. That prompted my viewing the film. I'd say trying to present the entire Myth of Arthur in 141 minutes was ... um, "ambitious." The performance by Mirren, however, as the super evil La Fay met expectations.
Altair was born to feral parents and it shows. Pretty smart for a cat, but totally lacking in practical judgment. My best friend for almost 13 years now.
I was especially fond of Renee O'Connor, but the one who trumped them all was Hudson Leick as Callisto.
The "glimpse of Earth's future" that bothers me a lot appears in DS9's "The Changing Face of Evil" (S7, Ep. 20). The Breen attack Earth. We see Starfleet HQ in flames & a cockeyed Golden Gate Bridge. It's a suspension bridge. You damage it like that, it's going down completely.
It's stunning how many alien planets bear a strong resemblance to locations in or within a day's drive of 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles CA.
First thing I saw on a color TV (my uncle's) was a showing of "Forbidden Planet." That was in the mid-60s. I've always enjoyed "monsters from the id", Robbie the Robot, and the roles played by Leslie Nielsen and the alluring Anne Francis. Star Trek owed a lot to FP.
This is the Tecnic Porsche 911. Working at it steadily, I still needed almost two weeks to get it done. It was a great build. It might slow him down some.
Cat Altair's parents were feral and it shows in her feisty personality. She's smart for a cat, but is fearless and lacks *any* practical judgment. Still she's been my best friend for going on 13 years. Winning the love & friendship of a cat is soecial.
I have two heavy jackets that I leave out with the lining facing up because Cat Altair really likes to hang out on them.
Some years ago, my nephew gave me the Technic Porsche 911. I worked at it steadily for close to two weeks. What a great build!
Cat Altair was retrieved with her -- probably 5-week old -- littermates from a burrow in a field that was scheduled for leveling for construction. They showed up in a box at the office where I was working. I picked her up on impulse. It's now going on 13 years.
Takasi Shimura's performance as Wantanabe is one of his best. I say that knowing what he did in "Seven Samurai."
But the Sun King was very self-aware and was a master of style. No one did "Divine Right" better. (And yes it was a lousy time to be, as most people were, peasant farm workers.)
I communicate with Cat Altair the traditional way of communicating with cats -- telepathically.
Cat "Altair" (of feral lineage) agrees: "All I want for Christmas is a cardboard box!"