Went to Jason’s last night for soup. A pyramid was the logical conclusion to the evening. We regretted the low ceilings.

A lot happened on Sunday.

We went to the Star City Cat Fanciers cat show. There were so many cats. It was awesome.

Here is when we first arrived.

We were very excited that our counterfeit coupons were accepted. That was a $4 savings. Immediately we set all of our cameras on a ledge and set the timers so we could take a group photo in our cat shirts.

The hotel was abuzz. Tons of cat fanciers, of course, but also a surprising number of dogs in coats. There was a bar, but the bartender told us they sold out of all of the alcohol and they had to close by 2:30 PM. That was disturbing and a shame, but I reminded the group that we don’t need alcohol to have fun, when we have cats.

Amid the hubbub I took the opportunity to pee and found this in the men’s room:

European. Get it? For the ladies, this is some kind of deodorant cake/splash guard that you find in many urinals. I don’t know how useful they really are but you still see them a lot.

After that we checked out the vendors area where there was a wide variety of garish cat themed items for sale, many of which I liked a lot such as rhinestone brooches in the shapes of playful cats. For better or worse, it is outside my comfort zone to wear these kinds of items. I also felt awkward about photographing anything in the vendors area. I did however take a picture of Julia’s insane fingers, which turn white in the cold.

After that we looked at cats.

Here is my favorite cat:

I like his crazy flat face and the fact that his fur is a giant poof. I would like a cat like this.

There were quite a few crazies at the cat show, but mostly they were harmless and seemed to really love their cats and love the jazzy environment. I love people who are totally absorbed in what they are doing. In this case, it was cats, but it is nice whatever the context.

I learned that acting like a lurking monster is not permissible in the cat show environment. According to a strident cat show worker, allegedly this behavior makes cats nervous. Repeat it at your own risk:

We had exhausted most of the options at the cat show when feverish hunger drove us- well, actually I drove us in the 4 Runner- to our favorite Roanoke dining spot- Thelma’s Chicken and Waffles.

There I had Fried Green Tomatoes, which were fantastic, served with a “mo betta” sauce that was slightly pink:

Followed by chicken and waffles.

Additional strange sights were seen at a flea market, including this suit of armor which was pretty cool.

Driving home we played Garth Brooks on the car radio. It was a perfect day.

I’ve been very productive lately.

Without even trying I made this attractive ghost by simply wiping my paintbrush on a kleenex, or maybe it is a napkin. Clearly a sign of genius.

I also made these coupons for the Roanoke “cat fanciers” show which we are attending tomorrow. We will get $1 off entry with these coupons. I had to use my highly developed Photoshop skills to make them. Obviously grad school is already paying off.

They are not perfect because perfection is impossible in home made graphic design projects and not worth striving for. The back is upside down and the colors do not match, even though I put them on newsprint. I’m trusting that the following assumptions will hold true:

1. The person checking these things will never notice, because we will be wearing cat sweatshirts:

2. If they do notice, it will probably be funny.

3. Forged cat coupons are probably not worth calling the FBI or pressing charges.

4. If they did, we would laugh about it later while kicking ourselves now.

5. We will describe our actions as a public art project if we are apprehended and sent to prison. You can get away with anything if you call it an art project.

I also mounted a show this week in the glass corridor known as the Radford University Satellite Gallery located in Muse Hall on the Radford campus. The show is called Landscapes and it is pictures of landscapes I painted last summer.

I wanted to see some landscapes and Mike wanted to do some off roading so the other day we went to Burke’s Garden, VA, which was totally dope.

I really liked the crazy tall mailbox on a snowy mountain road:

There were huge icicles in Burke’s Garden as well but these giant ones were actually just down the hill from my house in Radford:

Him: Did you buy new mouthwash?
Me: No, but I mint to.

An army of damp socks.

Innovative Roach Trap:

This is a great way to trap roaches. Then you can just smash them with a finger.

Sold this painting:

That was pretty sweet. And then I dropped the I Heart New York mug and broke it, so the painting has already become a priceless relic.

My credit card number was stolen at a restaurant in Richmond over Thanksgiving. We got everything straightened out- well, mostly. Today I got an invoice in the mail for $2000 worth of Bibles that were shipped to somewhere in Ohio.

Pretty funny.