ALARMING

Fire Alarm Wednesday night. 
Only this time there was SMOKE in the hallway. 
Hearts racing, 
Cats yowling!! 
Stuffed the Cat Boys in their carriers and headed
into the fire tower across the hall. 
Worried how to get the 3 of us down 30-some concrete flights 
with my very sore left hip. 
The tower door opened 
and a fully kitted out Philly Fireman said, 
"Thought I heard Cats!" 
Emergency over, fire in a dryer on 6.
Back home. Whew!!

HOORAY, HIP! HIP!

Fred E. Cat hiding under the bedspread.

   Haven't posted much for a long while 
due to a number of unforseen momentous 
life events suddenly requiring all my attention.

   The latest of which is preparation for 
impending hip replacement surgery in 
about a week. 

   Can hardly wait to sit, stand, walk 
and/or roll over after so many months 
of awful soreness, exhaustion, 
expletives and pain meds.
   Brother Ted nicknamed me "Sore Ella" 
from sorella, Italian for sister.

   SO looking forward to getting back 
to work and gathering normally again 
with family and friends.
  Just a little more patience.

    

   

Not What I Signed Up For

Sharing this cautionary tale for colleagues who autograph 

their books.
Recently discovered my signature on Google images. 
Yikes!!
Posted by a bookseller advertising a used book for sale.
Why they thought just mentioning the book was 
"signed by the author" was not sufficient, I have no idea. 
Having already had my artwork stolen online and used,
(see my October 12, 2011 post)
I shudder to imagine the creative uses a signature 
could be put to. Though the bookseller responded 
immediately to my insistence on the signature's removal, 
it took over 48 hours for Google to eliminate it. 
Having signed zillions of books beginning years before the 
internet came along, the cat is long out of the bag and left the 
building decades ago. 
I always sign books with a "book signing signature", 
not my official legal signature.... but criminals and credit 
issuers don't know that. Since its still a signature, who
can be sure of legal ramifications.
Rethinking signing books at all. 
Maybe initials only.

Brotherly Love

Blogging to you from high above the city of

brotherly love.

Celebrating dear Freddie's 9th birthday!!

Don't know for sure the exact date, but

somewhere within the last week of January

and first week of February.

Tizzy was 3 when Fred arrived and not at all

happy to share his comfortable life.

Fred did little to win him over.

Slept in his beds.

Played with his toys.

Chasing the big guy around and wanting

to play when Tizzy wanted to sleep.

Nothing irritated Tizzy more than the

baby cat licking his face.

It still does. 

Its about who's the boss. Freddie never learns. Nano seconds after

this shot, a feline re-enactment of an Ali/Fraser fight. =^..^=

MyPad

Red Cat, Carolyn Croll ⓒ 2011

One tiny step for cat art, one GIANT step 

for me on my Ipad.

So proud of myself. Did this quickie sketch

of a red cat. 

Marks the first image I made on my Ipad using the SketchPro app

AND then somehow managed to transfer it to my Mac without

quite knowing how I did it. 

If I can figure that out, I intend to do it again.

Stay tuned.......

Dumb Phone

ⓒ 2011 Carolyn Croll

Any day now my ancient NOKIA basic

cell phone may conk out and I may be stuck
having to use a SMART phone.


Don't want a smart phone. 


Don't need it to take pictures, play music, tell me 
where I am, buy things online, play games, brew 
coffee, make a sandwich and other amazing feats 
they perform besides boring old sending and 
receiving phone calls. 


I'll accept taking VOICE messages and stashing 
useful phone numbers.
The charge can last as long as possible. 
The monthly fee can be as low as possible. 
I need a cell phone to call for help, a cab, or to say
I'm on my way, or running late.
And to call my Mom when I'm out shopping
and see something she might like or if they're out of 
what she wants. Otherwise I socialize in person, 
by regular phone, email, and sometimes FaceBook. 
And I LIKE it this way.


Do not assume I am technologically
challenged. I love my MAC and use it to do all 
sorts of stuff on and off line and am always 
learning more. I just don't need a pocket NASA/ 
entertainment system to make or receive infrequent 
ordinary phone calls.


Tried to sign in to ATT's Mobile website a short while
ago to look for the dumbest phone they have.
They couldn't find my account. (No trouble finding my
account when there's a bill).


Dumb phone company. 
Just wish they offered a dumb phone.

A Cautionary Tale

Have no idea what's been happening.

Just thankful that my blog hassle may

be over. Haven't been able to post or 

access the blogs I follow, nor the design

elements for this blog.

Looks like we're back in business.

Ours is not to reason why (though

I sure would like to know what

that was all about).

Think I'll just (cautiously) accept

and be grateful.

ⓒ carolyn croll 2011

                                         

Settlement

In these times that can try one's soul,

so pleasing to report that there are still honest

people in the world as well as on the internet.

October 12, 2011, discovered to my fury that

someone had used one of my illustrations on

a CD cover for sale on a website from India.

Initially, though figuring this a losing proposition 
on top of the theft, I sent a scathing email message 
to the site. Documented the theft with the original 
and stolen (and slightly Photoshopped) images. 

ⓒCarolyn Croll 2011

Expecting no response, imagine my surprise upon

receiving not only a reply, but an apology 
and immediate offer to pay for the art usage, 
remove the CD covers in question and investigate 
the art agency involved.

And only 2 days later, agreement reached.

Payment by PayPal and they have dropped the errant

agency responsible for the entire issue.

http://www.superaudio.in/

In today's world this is such a heartwarming 
and encouraging experience. A conscientious 
online merchant in a faraway jurisdiction.

The Internet providing the means of instant 
communication and solution. 


Remembering when just ordering a book from 

London or Amsterdam required an international 
banker and the better part of a year between
ordering and receiving.

Highway Robbery On The Internet

I just discovered this "cover" art on the website http://www.shopmania.in/music/p-rock-a-bye-baby-lullaby-instrumental-3566128

It is my art that has been cropped and altered slightly by changing the cradle color from pink to green and eliminating elements to fit in type.

I did this piece for a special commission several years ago and posted it as a sample, only, on my agent's website or this blog. The image was STOLEN, used completely without permission nor payment as I own the rights and both my agent's site and my blog clearly state that the art samples are all protected by copyright, so whomever did this knew they were stealing. It appears the thief is possibly in India or thereabouts as that is the location of the website where I found it. Global marketplace, indeed.

STOLEN ART WORK

STOLEN ART WORK

 Below is my original image. No doubt about it! I can also provide
witness to this thievery, the owner of the original piece for whom 
the work was done. He owns the work, but I retain all reproduction rights.

my original art

I have sent a terse message to the website telling them

to remove the stolen image from their website immediately.

In future I plan to display my art in the smallest file possible,

making it useless to the sticky fingered.

Stay tuned for what happens. 

I know I will!!

Goodnight Irene

(click on images to enlarge)

Started the week with an earthquake.
Which struck just as I'd finished downloading
some trial software from Adobe. The IMAC 
started dancing. Weird noises. First thought.
OMG the mother of all VIRUSES! 
Then NPR announced "Earthquake!".

My illustration from WHAT WILL THE WEATHER BE?, by Lynda DeWitt, HarperCollins

Now we are having a Hurricane, named Irene.

(see August 17, 2009 post in archives).

Pounding winds and rain last night.

Meteorologists tracking weather, from WHAT WILL THE WEATHER BE?

More expected this afternoon.

Watching TV. Schuylkill River and 
Manyunk streets flooded. Many trees down.

2 young gents featured rowing a
just purchased raft down a Manyunk St.
Interview over, immediate arrest by
Philadelphia's finest.
The charge (as stated by an officer), 
"No common sense." 
How infinitely more crowded the
jails if that was law.
The Cat Boys and I are on the top floor,

37 stories above all but wind and rain.

A little scary.

More evidence that I've drawn everything in the word at least once (or so it seems). ;~)

                                             

                                         Looking forward to Monday!

(My art for a different, but apropos, project. )

Tags, You're It!

New collar. New tags. Good to go.
(Still won't say what he did with his old
collar and tags.) 

Meanwhile, Down In The Village...

Elevatored down from the mountain top for supplies 
today. After the Mayor assured us all major streets 
were plowed and/or salted. 
Apparently, that meant mostly around City Hall.

Locust Street, major bus route east. Come Spring melt.

Two blocks from my place, just three blocks

from City Hall. Deep ice snow ruts. Illegal 

parking on both sides is a Philadelphia tradition.

Approaching Rittenhouse Square from the west

Only clear streets I saw, on or across the

Ben Franklin Parkway. You can see snow

piled on the Red Tail Hawk nest on the top 

floor right window sill of the Franklin Institute. 

Capistrano has its Swallows. Philly, our Red 

Tail Hawk family. Mr. & Mrs. were seen 

adding twigs to their nest before the snow 

came. Hope, Spring, Eternal!

Hawk Watch blog:

http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-hawk-year-theyre-back.html

The Great Escape - Not!

When my hands are full of mail 
and packages, I open the door and 
Fred escapes...... across the hall. 
He doesn't want to leave home, just 
play chase and dodge.

Told him over and over,
its not allowed.
He doesn't care.
Cats just wanna have fun. =^..^=

Claw And Bawl Feet

Phone rings.
Startled cat levitates.
Leaps away.
Engraving traction marks
across my abdomen.

Claw trimming time.

Round up cats.

First Freddie. 
Wriggling and strong.

Clip, clip. 
One fine stiletto at time.
Wining and twisting.

Ten toes forward, eight aft.

Springs forward. 
Landing inches away.

Purposefully grooming offended paws.

Careless Tizzy standing next to me. 

Transfixed by Fred's ordeal. 


=^,,^=  =^,,^=

Cat Wrangling 101

Time to visit the Vet and the game of 
CATch as CATch can is on.
Two players at a time. One a cat. 
Direct approach never works. 
Too many low places where I can't follow. 
Feigning interest in something else, never 
making cat eye contact. 
Gradually moving towards and often
past the cat. 
Gauging the time/space ratio. 
Deftly grasping wriggling yowling 
and possibly hissing animal. 
Depositing same into carrier. WHEW!! 
Point, match, game. 
(Note: Tizzy meowing a few times then quieting for
the trip. Freddie, singing loudly with great pathos, 
pronouncing "ME-YOW" all the way over and
all the way back.)
Two cats. One round each. Two rounds in six days. 
Now must give Fred a pill TWICE a day. 
Its only day six of ten.  :-(


Providing lots of practice. =^..^=  =^..^=

Every Which Way But Loose

Listening to the evening news.
Beading tray across my knees.
And I know better.
Slight balance shift.
A gazillion bead pick-up.
Funny thing, gathering loose 
beads. Diminutive art, color, 
texture, form. 
Calming, untroubling my
weary mind.
A floor's worth of worry beads.

Some of my beautiful new Czech beads.


Some have already become new earrings at
CiaoCarolina, my Etsy shop.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ciaocarolina

Poor Sport

Baseball, basketball, ice hockey, American
football and now soccer. 
Every time Philadelphia wins a championship 
my neighborhood suffers. Noise and destruction 
of peace, trees, trash bins, store windows and vehicles.
Returned home yesterday afternoon to another
alcohol fueled mob gathered in and around
the faux Irish pub across the street. Could still
hear the racket on the 37th floor with windows
closed hours later. Thrilled to hear their heros lost
and are out of the running. Go Ghana!!


Now here is a team sport I can appreciate. (Thanks, You Tube!)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN4CqDy3Qgk&feature=player_embedded


Love the ball spotting BEHIND the goal as well as the backboard.
So where can I get season tickets? ;-)