pot·pour·ri [poh-poo-ree, poh-poo-ree] Noun.
3. a collection of miscellaneous literary extracts.
I haven’t had much time to read or comment this week. That’s soooo unoriginal. It’s the same complaint that everyone has. I’m guest posting next week elsewhere in the ether. Here’s a smattering of tidbits to fill in the gap between now and then.
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Do you guys know what these are? They’re new to me.
They’re called claw caps. They keep kitty from tearing the settee to shreds.
My sister claims the cat doesn’t mind one bit and there’s never a fight to put them on. They swap them out when they’re worn. My understanding is that the cat is currently sporting hot pink claw caps. They’re genius. If I had invented them, I’d be posting this from Fiji right now.
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I saw this in The New York Times yesterday.
Yeah, that’s a GREAT idea. Let’s send some “advisers” to Africa. In 1955, British author Graham Greene published his novel The Quiet American. It predicted America’s slide into the Vietnam conflict with alarming accuracy. He wrote it after meeting an American “adviser” there. When the book was published, it was roundly condemned as being anti-American. It’s a hell of a read.
Will we EVER LEARN?
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Take a look at this spectacular sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn. It was briefly on display in the lobby of an office tower off of 6th Avenue over the Christmas holiday. I love it.
This is Force of Nature II. I’m not a huge fan of sculpture but I was really moved by this. Enough to come in off the street and take it in. The earth’s continents are etched into the globe.
I love the violent, wind-swept movement. It’s nice an big, too! It has a lot of interesting different angles.
Fun fact: Quinn is the son of actor Anthony Quinn. He’s a hell of a sculptor, that’s for sure. Here are some of his selected works.
Exile on Pain Street 
Nice sculpture!
How about developing the claw caps for people? (You know, like fitted tooth caps.)
You could be in Fiji by cocktail hour, tomorrow!
Aren’t condoms kind of close to claw caps? Made of rubber. Covers something that can cause a lot of damage if you’re not careful.
Stop teasing me about Fiji. That’s just mean. I hit a breaking point this morning. I came around the corner on 7th Avenue and a cold blast of wind hit me. I wept.
I once quit a job after I slipped on the ice in february at 530 am on my way in.
I laid there for a minute, thought “yeah, I’m not doing this anymore”, went in and quit.
That’s surreal! Have you done a post about it yet? If not, you must.
Hmm…I’m not sure.
that was a horrible job. It’s where I was introduced to a schedule of close-off-open.
Closing was at 1 – 2am, opening was at 6 am. the day off was sleep, eat, pee, sleep, then go back to work.
Miserable life.
Good thing you slipped on the ice, banged your head and came to your sense. I had a job like that once. I lasted nine months. I, literally, thought I was losing my mind.
Ha! That’s about as long as I lasted there!
It was also shortly after when I learned I shouldn’t quit jobs in the spring.
too hard to motivate myself to look for work.
That job ended and I had plenty of motivation to find something else: a mortgage and two little kids. Oh, how I wish I could have been more casual about the whole affair.
I was much much younger at the time. This was maybe twenty years ago.
And now I feel old.
Did I somehow instigate that feeling in you? You’re welcome!
Well played, Sir.
Claw caps–who would’ve thunk it? I have great admiration for people who come up with these ideas and strike it rich (though I have no idea if the maker of claw caps has hit the big time). But think of the Post-it Note guy. Bet HE’S in Fiji right now…
It sure beats the hell out of ripping their claws out, which I understand a lot of veterinarians won’t even do anymore. All we need is that one good idea and we’re SET. How many times have you heard that?
I’m sure every contestant on Shark Tank says that. (I’ve never watched the show, but my kids like it.)
I haven’t seen it either but I think it’s great exposure for your kids. It could set their tiny gears in motion.
Post-its were an accident.
A researcher at 3M noticed some goop he’d left on a counter stayed tacky without drying out. He put it on the back of a note and saw he could hag it and pull it off again and again.
And voila! Corporate profits!
(No idea if he got a bonus, but I hope so.)
I had a dream once that I was stuck in an office conference room completely naked! The only thing in the room, aside from the furniture, was a box of post-it notes. Well, you can imagine what I had to do. But I didn’t just make a pair of post-it briefs. I covered myself from neck to ankle with post-it notes. Why did I bother?
Let’s hope he got a bonus. A very big bonus. As in a percentage of ALL future sales.
Actually, my brother writes software for a major insurance company and if he comes up with some unique and/or original coding that leads to some kind of financial windfall, guess what he gets?
SQUAT.
It was created on company time using company equipment so they own the patent. Thank you, corporate America!
Well that sucks.
He has been wiped clean of any ambition to create or innovate. Can you blame him?
Not at all. After I read your previous comment, I was thinking, “What motivation do the employees have to innovate if they see none of the financial benefits?”
You have to be like those dudes in Shark Tank and be completely independent. If you’re attached to a corporation, it’s just not worth the effort.
I wonder about claw caps for Ms.Geiger.She is determined to eliminate all sofas and shoes! By the way, de-clawing is a cruel mis-nomer. Illegal here as it’s actually amputation of toes. I wonder how long the caps would last as our cats go outside.
The Quinn statue? Thanks so much for posting about it.I’d have loved it.Lorenzo’s got his dad’s talent.
Oh god! Now I have to have a cold shower…
A guy I work with had his cats de-clawed. He said he didn’t want them wrecking his furniture. And he lets them outside! They can’t even defend themselves! He’s a pig. I hate him.
You should see Quinn’s son! Hubba-hubba. Click on that link to his other work and go to his home page. What a dashing young lad. You’ll need a second shower.
Neat statue. I’m not much of an art connoisseur (had to look up that spelling) so this question may sound stupid – but where’s the figure’s head? Is the head the silver ball (world) that she/he is trying to lasso? Or is the head under the cloak? Whatever, it is a powerful image. Oh, claw caps – haven’t seen them before, but I walked into a craft store the other day and they had a special on of nail polish for pets. Needless to say this particular store targets women.
Hi Paul. Nice avatar!
You don’t have to be an art connoisseur to enjoy art. I hate the idea that one person’s opinion is more important than another. That’s preposterous. The fact that you feel it’s a powerful image is all that matters. That’s it! The entire body, including the head, is beneath the cloak. Perhaps if you click on it it’ll blow-up and it’ll become clearer. It was pretty impressive to stand in front of.
Yes, I can see the shape of the head when it is enlarged – thanks. I was afraid there was some meaning I was missing. There is a funny story about the avatar. My ex is a Director at Canada Post’s head office and she saw it as a screen saver on an IT guy’s administative screen. She sent it to me and said it reminded her of me. I’m still not sure what she meant by that (‘You couldn’t do it slow if you tried’; ‘ You fly by and leave a big mess behind you’ ; ‘ You fly way too close to the ground and are going to crash soon’ ; ‘You couldn’t drive anything that required more than one oerson to operate’ ; etc) – and there was no way I was going to ask. I liked it, so I’ve used it since. I pretend she meant it nice. And I just bought some shares in a bridge in Brooklyn too. Ha!
So that’s not a Photoshop image? Amazing. I think I need to see it bigger.
Soft Paws is what I have seen them called. My friend’s cat likes to chew them off, but their furniture still looks nice 🙂
I love that statue!
I couldn’t imagine any cat NOT chewing them off but my sister claims they are 100% effective and the cat leaves them alone. They come in a rainbow of fashionable colors, for your fussy cat.
The son of Anthony Quinn. Without even looking it up, I’d guess he had many siblings and half-siblings. If I had a claw-capped cat, I’d teach it to scratch my back – it’s the least it could do in return for all the stroking.
All of his siblings and half-siblings should pray they’re as dashing and talented as Lorenzo. That’s even a dashing name. Lorenzo. So swarthy. His sculptures are great, to boot!
Nobody knows this about me but I’ll do practically anything for a decent back scratch. It’s my thing. I wonder if I can slip these things on the dog’s claws and teach it to walk on me?
Are those cat claw things only for indoor cats? I think the cats might struggle with things outdoors if they can’t grip properly. Definitely better than declawing! I was shocked when I lived in the states for a few years and learned about declawing, I’d never heard of it in the UK.
That’s because the Brits are civil and Americans can be barbarians sometimes. You raise an excellent point regarding indoor/outdoor cats. Hopefully my sister will see this and respond.
Well if she does, I hope she doesn’t think I’m being judgmental – I’ve never seen these before so I don’t actually know anything about them, I was just thinking about how my cats scrabble up trees and fences, and that I’m not sure they would be able to do that if they couldn’t claw properly, but I could be completely wrong!
Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that at all. It doesn’t sound the least bit judgmental. And that’s NOT one of my sarcastic barbs. This time.
Our cat stay’s inside. I wouldn’t put these on an outdoor cat for that exact reason. They last a couple of weeks (usually about a month) they come in packs of 20-different colors and are only about $15.00. Right now he has hot pink/white. Dexter does not bother with them he is too busy trying to figure out how to catch the dogs tale.
Well, as you can see, they’re a big, big hit. Wish I had invented the darn things.
Ah well yes, they definitely make sense for indoor cats!
You and me both because you are such a loving brother I know you would share your wealth!
That sculpture is awesome! I’m torn between deciding if he’s trying to restrain the globe or he’s in the middle of a hammer throw. Either way, great imagery.
It’s a really powerful image. I think the world is speeding away and he’s trying to capture it. I wish it was a permanent fixture but, sadly, it’s long gone. What a surprise it was! I saw it from the sidewalk as I walked by.
Imagine that thing in your front yard?? You’d see it from space, never mind the sidewalk! I love that kind of thing, such talent to be able to see something that massive in your head and then make it come to life…bit like your writing really, mate.
If you have a minute click on the link I provide and look at some of his other work. There are a few things in there I’d like to see in my front yard!
Yeah, they are incredible…I could definitely see that SNAFU one in my front yard.
I wonder what they cost? I’m afraid to ask. I think it’s safe to assume I can’t afford one.
Africa doesn’t necessarily turn out like another Vietnam. It might also become another Afghanistan, where we train and arm them, only to have them turn against us.
Ha! That’s hilarious! We could go in there and end up being shot with our own bullets. I’m sure our cracker jack military advisers are there right now laying the groundwork for a successful campaign.
I think they are really there to help catch the Youtube star Joseph Kony, but I may be mistaken.
Love that sculpture! I like the art you post on here. Not so sure about kittys new nails, how bonkers!
I’m very fortunate to have a lot of really interesting art in such close proximity. Click on that guy’s site and look at his other stuff. It’s dramatic and, most importantly, accessible. Accessibility is key. I walk through museums and see a lot of stuff that looks like the artist is mad at his audience.
When the elephants fight the grass suffers. I wish I could say I like that sculpture. To me, it looks like a paperweight Darth Maul might have on his desk. My husband wanted to become a mogul via silly bands but it never panned out– I’ll have to tell him about the fake cat talons. What does the collarbone tattoo say?
I hate writing LOL but your paperweight comment really did make me laugh out loud! That’s pretty accurate but I still like it.
Where was I when silly bands needed to be thought-up. And now those rubber band looms. Every year or two something catches fire and someone cashes in.
I have no idea what the tattoo says. It belongs to my niece and I’ve never asked. I should probably be more involved but I’m kind of detached from the human race.
The tattoo says “Change is Constant”
I never knew! She’s got that right.
So I’m guessing the sculpture is encouraging us to grab life by the balls?
That does resemble a gigantic gonad, doesn’t it? And the sheath a huge scrotum? I’m pretty sure that’s not what the artist had in mind.
That sculpture is bad ass.
It’s windy. Like some people I know. Present company excluded.
Depends on what kind of wind we’re talking about…
Snap! I didn’t think about it that way. That really opens-up the possibilities.
Indeed it does.
Oh those cat claw covers are such a good idea. We had to have a cat declawed once so we could take it to our new place. That cat developed mental problems. The claw covers would be much more humane. Oh no I hope we don’t start getting involved in Africa’s problems!! Gads we will never learn, will we? And that is one cool sculpture. Oh and what is ether?
You should have your cat’s claws put back. Can you do that? Maybe he’ll recover his mental faculty. Did you have him neutered as well? Insult + injury.
The ether, as used here, is the air and space. Where our blog ions roam free.
Yeah he was neutered as well. He wold hide under the bed and bite my legs like he was jaws! He was insane and evil and he needed a lobotomy.
Oh that ether! And I love your description of it too.
I’d have bitten you, too. Every chance I got.
And here you haven’t even had your fingernails removed. So you have no excuse for biting I’m afraid. At least Clark had a good reason.
No…no…no. Had you done the things to me that you did to Clark, I’d have bitten you, too. As is, I have no beef with you.
we’re already involved on the continent of africa, if nothing else, but to keep the chinese from gobbling it up. *sigh* thanks for the link to the sculptor. xoxoxox
I know you a little bit and I believe you might be in possession of some information that the rest of us are not privy to. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Those claw guards are good because you don’t have to de-claw them, so it’s less invasive. Could we do the same thing about neutering? Like a red rocket guard that stops everyone from having to see the dog’s “lipstick” make an appearance and him cumming his dog cum all over the place?
I remember that “lipstick” scarring the hell out of me when I was a little boy so, yes, they should invent something to solve that little problem.
Where are you guest posting, Mark?
My new best friend Twindaddy has graciously awarded a guest post for my coming up with his new tag line. I never win anything!
Ha! I liked your tagline. Okay, thanks for letting me know, if it’s TD, I know I’ll see the guest post.
I still need to pick up “The Quiet American,” as you have recommended.
And those cat things… at first I thought you were going to show off the fact that you’d painted your cats nails and I was going to be an equal mix of impressed and slightly uncomfortable.
If you don’t have the time or inclination to read The Quiet American, you can watch the movie with Michael Caine. It’s pretty true to the story and Caine got an Oscar nod for best actor. Good stuff.
Shady student Aussa likes this option… must see if it’s on Netflix.
I’m looking into those Cat Caps, thank you. Graham Greene’s The Comedians is my favorite of his…not much has changed in Haiti, although it has gotten worse.
I absolutely love The Comedians. It shows that not only was Greene a brilliant writer of suspense, but he was also an adept humorist. Blueprints for a vacuum cleaner mistaken for a gigantic weapon?! Over the lust for a girl?! Hilarious.
No, wasn’t the vacuum cleaner from Our Man in Havana? I loved that, too. The Comedians is not funny at all as I recall. It’s about Haiti.
Oh, nuts! You’re 100% correct! My bad. I love em’ both but get them mixed up. Was The Comedians made into a film with Liz and Dick? Or dininhave that wrong as well?
The sculpture to me looked like he was trying to catch his head…..you know “I am loosing my mind and I need to catch it”
His head is under the cover. Click on it and blow it up for a better view. That’s the world he’s trying to wrangle.
I thought you’d painted the claws as this opened up and was like “What the ….” Now I understand…
Love Lorenzo’s sculpture- full of fury and passion. Wonder if he got it from his Dad.
Ooh, nice one. Fury and passion is dead-on. Wish I had thought of those.
Those claw caps reminded me of pet nail polish. That’s right. A friend of mine is investing in some for her terrier. Yeah…
My sister just sent me photos of the cat’s new claw caps. They’re red and white stripe. Like candy canes. The cat doesn’t mind a bit about having them on. She still rakes the furniture and thinks she’s bad.