Oh December...

... and I still haven't managed to get all presents for Christmas. I guess we'll do last minute packing with awfulsome help of the cats who tend to be more or less pretty unhelpful.

I had some strange weeks. A lot of stuff's going on at work and though I thought the end of the year would be totally relaxing... it's not. Dang. I always wonder why this year was/is so strange.


But... things to look forward: January will be a month I like. I already know... since the Nürnberg board game fair is coming up and I busted my booty for it and I hope people will love the games. Ha!

Winter does something strange to me: I turn into a soup monster. I think I cooked 7 different soups in the last 7 days and I'm still not fed up with... soup. Gods, I love these. So many options. Having somebody at home who mostly eats everything (except the really wonky tests- Azuki beans... we both hate you) helps a lot.

Don't think I can post something without the cats. Today's weird cat picture....

Why do cats like freshly used sport clothes so much? Tretel's love for sweaty clothes is simply disgusting but since Hantje turns into a purring jellyblob when she finds a stinkin' shirt I can't point fingers at him. It's weird. Seriously. Our dog loved to roll around in cow patties and the cats crawl into the sports bag stinking like rotten eggs (thermal water- it smells strongly like sulfur). Sometimes I have no idea if I should be offended or laughing.

 Aaaand a new mug motive with Kulla. Didn't forget my little bunny girl. Especially since she'll turn 10 next year. Already. Oh noes.

You can find the illustration here on Deviantart if you want to have a closer look. I'm a bit depressed I still haven't done the fourth book but at least one children's book will be out next year... even if it's not for Tokyopop. And not even in Germany. Well, not really depressed about that part but I promise more bunny illustrations next year.

How do you know it's getting cold?

Hantje's favourite place in winter: The heater. It means less warmth for us but I think she pretty much couldn't care less if the fellows are freezing or not. I still have the usual problem with the room: In summer too hot, in winter too cold. Meaing I'm sitting with one of my hubby's cardigans, wool socks, a scarf and tea and still freezing fingers here while typing. Whereas Hantje is toasted on the heater. Sometimes I wish I could curl up on the heater as well. Duh.

 And that's how I know where Hantje is.... the omnious blob. She uses the curtain as a hammock. Clever girl. I'd be really happy if she also understood the room has two doors and you don't have to mew on the closed one and scratch for hours if the other one is open. Cat's logic, I guess.

Tretel is occupying the cat's bed next to my screens- still a pretty boy and still bat shit lazy. I took away his Slim Ball and he started pouting instantly. I love his love for the ball but seriously... if he kicks it constantly against my computer as if that'd make Dreamies apaer inside out of nowhere it's annoying. He doesn't understand the problem.
If you have a cat who tends to inhale food: Try the ball.
I only use the SlimCat for Tretel's Dreamies since he has a pretty unhealthy obsession with these but if your cat's crazy about kibbles and won't stop eating till it comes backwards: Try the ball. Really! It costs less than having to deal with the medical problems of a totally overweight cat and is easy to clean.
I tried different systems and boards but the ball's still the best and he's entertained for around 30 minutes and keeps moving around if I set the ball to the hardest level (lot of rolling around).

Too hot!

 

It's so unbelievable hot right now in Berlin...Living in an old 19something building is normally wonderful but in summer you might experience the downside of awful temperatures. It's barely cooler than outside in the sun and we don't live at the highest floor (which normally means you get grilled thoroughly).

I wish I was at my parents being able to jump into one of the nearby lakes. Which is what we gonna do next week after checking their gardens and digging up the first potatoes this year. Yummy! After finding potatoes imported from Egypt in the supermarket -which is mind-boggling for me to be honest- I am again grateful for the "will dig for food" option we have.

 

 Personal weapon: having a lot of (warm) tea and ice at hand. I'm a big fan of Ben&Jerry's but the heavy ingredients are mostly sick day and "whoopee I swam 2 hours, ready for a yummy treat"-food. In summer I usually swap together frozen fruits, yoghurt or buttermilk, vanilla, if needed natural sweetener (I prefer NuNaturals stevia or... old school sugar) and seeds. Cheap, you know what's inside and it takes only some minutes.

 Even the cats are quite affected by the heat. Hantje just gets very calm and for her it's rare to not crave constant attention with a lot of mewing. She ends up napping at the weirdest places... be it in/on our towels or under the sofa.
Tretel just flops down everywhere while walking... sometimes we have to shove him aside with the foot because he ends up ... everywhere and most likely near a door.

 The (mostly) only good thing about summer: All the fruits O_O! Enjoy the huge summer selection of seasonal fruits while it lasts. We have the last local strawberries and blueberry season started which I was looking forward a lot. I admit I'm a foodie by heart.

I hope it gets cooler over the next couple of weeks. I can't skate over 27 degrees because 16 km skating in burning heat is simply insane :/ Even the marathon skaters I usually see on my route have been absent and that's kinda creepy. Being inside the appartment all the time is quite unnerving.

Let's pray for weather where you won't end up sticking permanently to your desk, paper or tablet.

So Fluffy!

 

I can't get over Hantje's paws... these are so effin fluffy I want to poke them all the time! It looks like instant slippers. She hates getting cold feed and won't go outside in winter (seriously!).

Spreading Love...

.... or winter fuzzles. It's this time of the year again when I put on clean clothes and after 2 minutes with the cats they look like this:

It doesn't look that bad but having a third cat (amount of hair) spread all over my clothes is sometimes really annoying- my back is the worst part and I wonder how the hairs got *there*. The third unwanted cat is everywhere. Hantje tends to nap in my freshly washed pile of shirts and I end up frantically removing the third cat every morning. I love my kittens but the third cat in spring is the worst part. Probably.
Since Tretel still loves to sit on the balcony freezing his booty off he has a decent amount of third cat he loves to share. Same goes for Hantje.

Kitteh luv

Sometimes the siblings actually do bear each other...

Hantje looks really puffy but it's her winter fuzzles. She has so long hair for an European Short Hair I always wonder why... Tretel's fur is much more compact and shorter.

Happy Stalking

 Hantje does the ceiling cat with much more grace than Tretel... I think. Did I mention they'll turn 3 in April already? O_o Time flies by.

And I really wanted to post this little creeper weeks ago but I never found time to do so. Stalker Kitteh!!!! Isn't he great?! Saskia give him to me and he's still sitting in the same position on my table. Stalking my every move. Oh I love him O_O and it's the only stalker I love.

This blog will get some major pimping in the next months and I hope you bear the absence of more posts. I am happily drowning in (partially private) work again and I hope the new look will be much loved. It certainly will make some things easier. For everybody.

Ceiling-Tretel

Perfect round chubby face look he does so often... and I never managed to get a picture of. Till yesterday. Cleaning the aquarium is always verrrryyyyy interesting for the cats. Han's always winking and mewing and checking out the fishies and Tretel loves to sit on the ladder (feeling quite superior) we use to refill.
If the ladder is blocked (with the water bucket... yes, we do it old school) he moves to the top of the cat post and makes those funny looking faces. Gahh, chubby face is so effin cute!

fuzzles on my netbook

 Yes, he loves the netbook as well... or...

subtitle: "I'm more important. So do you duty: cuddle me. Subito!" 

How can I say no? Ever?

I got myself for Christmas....

 ... obviously not Hantje. As always she's in her floaty boat watching lazily as I work... on comic pages. Actually the one you see is a reworked version of "anger a kitteh"... a page hopefully finished tomorrow. I so want to work on a snow page right now.

I got myself a Spyder4 Pro.
This tiny little stinker is essential for calibrating my screens. I have no idea if you ever had the chance to calibrate *your* screens but having a good screen also means you might want to invest in a buddy who helps you to see the actually correct colors. Nobody wants to be shocked in the final print version. Though I have to admit: If the printer messes up you'll end up shocked anyway. But it's a good start and for me essential.
IF you think "Oh shiny... me wants" check the Datacolor hardware. There are different versions of the Spyder. I had a OneEye before which was fine as well.

Tretel normally hogs the heater place. I am amazed he still fits in.

Who needs Maru....

... if you have Tretel :D Same genes, same reaction to empty boxes... I really wanted to reuse this one but seems it's a useless battle.

Isn't it weird when people send you birthday wishes way to early? I always feel uncomfortable. O_o

Angelcat

Hantje :3

Tretel is a real man... now

Tretel catched his first bird yesterday- a young titmouse. Through the wired cat-net we have on the balacony. I was stunned, horrified and proud at the same time.
Lucky he is a wanna-play-cat and didn't kill the bird immediately. Thank god I am sick and home right now. O_o Otherwise we'd have a dead bird and even more feathers in the apartement. I snatched the birdie and set him free. He wasn't injured and everything seem to be still in place. After heavily breathing for 15 minutes he finally took off.
Tretel was highly dissapointed and lamented the whole time.

I am still horrified AND proud. Twisted mind of a cat owner I'd say.

Cute galore!

*click for bigger image*
Next to finishing pages, 2 board games and keeping up with social life (I am still surpirse I keep that one steady... wow) AND normal work I prepared some things for the Animaco in Berlin.
I got my proof prints yesterday and realized these went horribly wrong with a flipped backside. Lew said she wouldn't mind but I mind a lot and less than perfect is not on my Wanted list.

Everything's already in pre-sale since I have no problem with first come, first serve. If I end up having three mugs and only buttons left... oh well, it will be fun anyway.

If you are still looking for cute christmas gifts read the journal entry HERE.

There is no "too small"

apparently... it's getting cold and huddling together seems to be the perfect idea. Even if it's your annoying big bro.

Pillows, Cats and appreciation wall

 Pillow cases from my artofwhere store and Hantje. She's 2 1/2 years old.... oddly she looks a lot like the comic Patches O.o

 Tidied my workspace...

 ... and the other one as well. The canvas is something I wanted to finish for ages for my parents. I hope I can make it till christmas.

The white gap inbetween is where my KitKat clock normally creeps out guests. I had to take it down since the battery needs to be recharged. Otherwise I added some more of the gifts I got by Lew, Saskia, Dheny, YueYuki, Irene, Eick, Christina and IreneShpak. 2 still need to be framed but I always forgot to buy big frames. Did I mention I love those? :3 Did I ever mention I wouldn't mind getting more? >_<

I'm still sneezing and the flue wasn't something I totally longed for but I hope next week I'm back at the drawing table. Tons to finish before the cons in Essen and Berlin start.

Squishy Han

 It's time for figs again. I love them! Especially the ripe ones you can barely cut because it's just all melting away. Yummy!

 Squishy Hantje is squishy. I replaced her kitteh bed with another one that's normally on the TV-set (in winter it's really warm and she hogs it all the time). Good thing for her: Tretel is too fat big to fit in. She's really content. I guess it's the feeling of being totally wrapped in soft cushion fluff.

... successfully squished!

Tetris cat 2

I'd wish I had anything else to blog about but the exciting stuff comes out in October and January so... cat pics till your eyes bleed.

around 10:00 in the morning.... tetris cat 2.0- the "I iz dead"-position

1 hour later.... slowly crawling along on the floor. I still don't understand his need to lie on his back and why he keeps hogging chair legs. Normally I find him in exactly *that* position on his back... facing the wall. Strange cat is strange.

Hantje seriously doesn't care.

He doesn't even care if I walk around taking pics. I even poked him with my feet twice. Utterly igorant with zero reaction. Oh well...

I have to finish some things today and hope we won't melt away. Ty said it will be the hottest week-end and all I can think of is that I need to work, drown in coffee and maybe enjoy some balcony time in the evening.

I'm totally looking forward to starting my vacation in 1 week. :D It's nothing special but I want to make the most out of it which means lotsa napping, skating in the middle of the week *luxury!* and visit family (at least the part that's in Germany right now).

Tretel's breakfast nap

The cats tend to rotate with us in the appartment. When I am in the studio room... they hover along. When we're having breakfast you have to keep an eye on your feet since Tretel tends to flop down and you might step on a tail accidently.
Hantje prefers the tables and windows since she has a much better view on the table's content. Clever cat.

Tretel... i have no idea if this is relaxing but he keeps doing it and today I finally had the chance to take a picture while he was snorring. It's a bit like cat tetris- see if you can fit your body in every free space. Well, if it's comfortable. O_o;

Chillin' Tretel

When I did my Christmas illustration somebody complained that Kiki's pose is absolutely impossibe. Actually... it's just what I see every day. Tretel loves to sit like that *everywhere*.

TV -dangling paws in front-, couch, table, kitchen, tub, toilet, cat post, cat post II, cupboard, 2.25 m cupboard top. He just does. And I often wonder if it's really so comfortable but since he keeps doing it I guess it is. Somehow.

If there was a competetition about doing whacko posing he'd totally win it.