Cat carrier/Cat litter box

I am a man with two cats. One more and I would be a verifiable crazy cat man. Luckily, I don't have to travel with my cats much and when I do I put them in separate bags and crates. Today, as I was cleaning out their boxes I came up with an idea that would combine a travel bag with a portable litter box for when cats have to travel and you don't want to carry a large litter box. The bag would be modeled after the popular Sherpa cloth bag with mesh sides. The top would be pretty much the same but underneath it all would be a hard plastic bottom with rounded sides about 2-3inches high. The litter would be placed in there and the carrier on top with a cloth and plastic base. The litter box would be zippered to the base and when you were ready to let the cat out, just unzip the litter box and the two are separated. The litter would be sealed so as not to allow the odor to leak and the cat would be none the wiser. All in all the litter box would add just a few pounds to the overall carrier and in return you are freed the hassle of carrying an open litter box that could potentially spill. I also just had the idea that if one didn't want to carry litter, they could use the extra space to store food, leashes, collars, toys, or any number of other pet items. I would also try to make sure this new design would comply with FAA rules for size allowance of an onboard pet carrier. How does that sound? Any readers out there with pets who would care to comment? Any non-pet owners inclined to throw in their thoughts?

Hand Bridge

I should start off by saying that I am not an architect, structural engineer or a person educated in the construction and building of the worlds infrastructure. What I am is a thinker and lately I have a lot of free time to think about things that will probably never happen but are cool to imagine. This is one of those things. I was in London in the fall of 2008 and I was amazed at some of the new and modern architecture sprouting up there. I remember standing over by the Tate Modern and looking out over the London skyline and counting 36 high-rise cranes. Those were just the ones in my field of vision and within sight. I can only imagine how many there really were out there. Many of the cranes were being used to help build the facilities for the Olympics in 2012 and I can only imagine what that city will look like then. So, here is my whimsical idea and admittedly it was inspired by the millennium bridge that goes across the Thames river from roughly the Tate Modern to St. Paul's Cathedral. I liked how the bridge seemed open and compact yet spindly. My idea would be similar to that bridge but with two large differences. The supports that rest in the river would not be bland pillars but rather two very oversized life-like looking hands. These hands would appear to be bending the bridge and give it a nice mini arc in the middle. The large fingers would wrap over the top and built into the hands would be a small observation tower through the fingernails. Imagine that! From far away it would look like a large human is grabbing the bridge and trying to bend it. I'll admit, I don't think it'll ever be built anywhere but the moment it's completed, it turns into an instant landmark and tourist attraction. It would make great photos and would add some humor to otherwise boring and pedantic objects that we use and take for granted because they lack emotion. But this is built in. I made soem fancy drawings that I need to scan and update this blog post. So, come back to this one for my hastily scribbled drawings of my hand bridge. G'night!

Behind the Canvas

I've been going to a lot of galleries and museums lately and have been constantly thinking about art and what makes good art. I can't draw worth a lick and am a little envious of those who can. I just respect how well they can create life-life pictures on two-dimensional surfaces. Since I can't draw, I tend to focus on the why of art and about creations that don't rely how steady my hand is. Maybe it's cheating but it's how I contribute and show my creativity. One of the things I like about art is that it brings out and stimulates your imagination. I'm just as much stimulated by things of unreal beauty such as anything by Van Gogh, as I am by art that confuses me and makes me think, like Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp and more recently Bruce Nauman. I am working on a series of canvases that are blank and I place objects behind them. I include and describe the object in the listing but it's up to the viewer to picture it in their mind. Since they can't see it, they have to decide if I am telling the truth or not. They have to take my word for it. They see what may be behind the canvas and project it onto the blank front. How large is it? What color? Is it a picture, a real thing or nothing at all? A few industrious souls may attempt to shine a light through the canvas to see a shadow and get a definitive account. But how can they believe it if they don't see it. A shadow doesn't exist, you can't touch it the way a brisk fall breeze touches your face. Okay, I have to stop for now. I just crossed the self-indulgent poetic line.

For music players

I've been playing some live shows recently with my ukulele and there are a few things that bother me about the microphone stands currently being used. First, they have large bases, usually a tripod base or a heavy circular stand. These get in the way of what I like to call feet and they also get tangled in the amplification cords. That's not the biggest problem though. What I see as a problem is that the top part of the stand with the microphone doesn't extend far enough out to the mouth or if playing an acoustic instrument doesn't reach the instrument close enough. Here's my idea: A curved top part that bows out to the singer or under to the instrument. It would have the ability to be retracted internally to fit the height of the player. The base would also be smaller and the weight would be in the frame. I'd also use a pyramid type base instead of a tripod or a circular weighted base. If it was good enough for the Egyptians, a pyramid is perfectly good for a dude hosting poetry night. I need to draw up this idea more, but I think if done right, could catch on. Oh, and I'd change the microphone clamp, it's too awkard to pull a microphone out or put it in. I'd use a sliding grip wherein you place the mic on the top and slide a cylinder up and over the middle of the microphone. Again, pictures would help. How's that for an idea? Okay, off to a comedy show.