Five Reasons Why I Blog

I, Rocky, have been tagged by Phoebe at the Pablo Fan Club to explain why I blog. These are only 5 of my many reasons:

1. I blog so my humans will live longer. Norman Cousins used laughter to cure his fatal disease. Laughter boosts levels of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Since blogging kitties are so funny, we keep our humans pain-free ... and alive. (He who laughs, lasts!)

2. Humans sometimes get busy with human stuff and forget that cats rule the world. I blog to inundate them with even more cats, which helps them keep their priorities straight. (a. Cats, b. Cats, c. Cats etc. etc.)

3. Medical studies show that lonely people are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as those who are not lonely. As our extended family, the Cat Blogosphere protects my humans from dementia. (well, sorta)

4. I blog to keep my humans stress-free. Creative expression relieves stress. Involving my humans in cat blogging is a creative outlet that keeps them from going postal. (well, most of the time)

5. I blog so that my artist humans will use their talents for a good cause - marketing cat art and donating proceeds to cats in need - rather than just sitting around doodling!

Cat bookmark project completed

Rocky here, after a long weekend. I've been working overtime keeping our human artists focused on creating cat bookmarks. I'm pleased to announce that the project has been completed and I will have all 61 bookmarks in the mail tomorrow.

I believe you'll be pleased with your bookmarks, because I made quality control a top priority for this important project. I personally supervised the creation of each one-of-a-kind bookmark, and kept a very close eye on every single movement of an artist's finger -- especially if it held a string!

I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for helping Mu Shue. Now it's time to chew the string out of my fur, nab some nip and catch a nap!

From the Human Cat Artists

Our esteemed CEO Rocky has finally given me permission to post on our blog and introduce the human side of our business ... although he chewed off a good portion of my wrist while I was convincing him to get off the keyboard.

Despite Rocky’s sarcatsic comments, we humans are a vital part of this venture, and are being quite productive. Already today we’ve shopped for supplies, met with our accountant, and met with our webmasters to finalize the design and functionality of our upcoming e-commerce site, ArtsyCatsy.com. (Ivan, our IT Director, and the ever-present Rocky were helpfully in attendance -- Rocky shuffling papers and Ivan diligently drooling on our keyboards.)

We humans are also attending to the never-ending details involved in setting up a business … from incorporating, to arranging secure online ordering, to purchasing supplies. We're also rearranging our 15-room household to expand our workshops and studios … and through it all, creating one-of-a-kind unique artistic works for cat lovers. So, you see, our slates are quite full with setting up a business while functioning as indentured servants to a houseful of hissyfitters!

I invite you read our bios below, and should you ever wish to bypass the rantings of Felis domesticus to communicate directly with Homo sapiens, please email us any time at ArtsyCatsy (at) yahoo(dot)com.

Sincerely,
Sharolyn

Sharolyn – Artist / Writer / Cat Food Chef
(and servant to Rocky, Fracas, Callie and Lucy)
Cat lover Sharolyn (above, right) comes to ArtsyCatsy from a lifelong career in creative writing, illustration, gourd art, advertising, marketing and public relations. She has served as marketing director/consultant to national and international firms such as Sam’s Club and Signature Inns. Her ArtsyCatsy products include gourd art, greeting cards, jewelry, bookmarks, illustrations, candles, pillows, household décor and wall art.

Suzanne – Artist / Catnip Distributor
(and slave to Ivan, Oscar, Bitsy, Little Girl and Blackie Bear)
Cat lover Suzanne (above left) comes to ArtsyCatsy from a lifelong career in graphic design, fine art and advertising. She has contributed her skills to a wide variety of local and national media and corporations. Her ArtsyCatsy products include pet portraits, notecards, cat beds, kitty litter screens, limited edition art prints, punched tin creations and household décor.

Jason – Artist / Litter Pan Maintenance Engineer
(and valet for Somber, Atlas, Casey and Sibley)
Cat lover Jason Hobbs (above center) is the son of Suzanne Overton, and is an emerging artist of exceptional talent. His ArtsyCatsy products include original abstract cat art, limited edition prints, and abstract cat art emblazoned on a variety of cat-themed gifts, from cups to tee-shirts.



Tiffany Herring – Operatic Soprano / Cat Cultural Adviser

(and maid for FredBaby and Holly Golightly)
Cat lover Tiffany Herring, daughter of Sharolyn Herring, comes to ArtsyCatsy from a lifelong career in music. From her beginnings as an honors piano/voice student at prestigious institutions such as Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory, she has advanced to her current position performing opera and teaching voice and piano in Rome, Italy. Tiffany, Fred and Holly comprise the European Division of ArtsyCatsy, and provide artistic and cultural oversight for the company. Her future contributions will include recorded CDs of music for cats.

P.S. Tiffany's birthday is today, January 15. She is celebrating it in Rome with Fred and Holly, her good friend Cesare, a fine vino rosso, molta pasta, and a leisurely stroll along the Tiber. Buon compleanno, la mia figlia bella!

Edict from the Corporate FatCat

Listen up all employees! In getting ArtsyCatsy.com up and running, 2007 is our year of important Specialized High-Intensity Training (S.H.I.T.). As Boss in General of this Specialized High-Intensity Training (B.I.G.S.H.I.T.) , the following new office policies will go into effect immediately:

1) The fireplace is off limits during office hours! I spend 24/7 working on all kinds of S.H.I.T. and what happens? Some human slacker stokes up a fire and I lose an entire day of productivity from getting my head caught in the firewood tongs, leaving soot stains all over my white shirt. Eyes glazed with stress, I'm then forced to interrupt my busy schedule to break the tongs, chew the fireplace broom to ribbons and have a shampoo. All fireplace perks are hereby rescinded.

2) Now, people, what is our company name? ARTsyCatsy. What is our mission? ART. You human artists were brought on board for two reasons: a) to serve the catstaff's every need; and b) to produce ART! Therefore, no more personal phone calls, no surfing the Web, no extended lunches, and all vacations are cancelled until further notice. All humans are to get back to their drawing boards at once. What's that? ... oh, our human artist Suzanne would like to point out that she has produced three more portraits ... let's see them, Suzanne ...

Thank you, Suzanne, I'll be sure to note this at your next performance review. But I would advise all our human artists to recognize that it is a supreme privilege to work for we cats, and nothing you do will ever likely be enough.

Now, people, hustle, hustle, get back to work!

Welcome message from the CEO (Cat Executive Officer)

Ahem. Attention please. My name is Rocky and I'm the CEO of ArtsyCatsy. And I'm not just caterwauling here ... this is serious business. This household consists of fifteen artsy cats against four artsy humans, and the majority decided it's time those four got to work. So we're training them to start an online business, and we named it after us ...

ArtsyCatsy.com: Artistic Creations by Cat Lovers for Cat Lovers

Don't even think we don't know what we're doing. Me, for instance - Head Honcho Alpha Male Numero Uno ArtsyCat. Because I have an MFA (Master of Feline Arts) and because I'm the biggest and the baddest, I have long experience as the boss of everything. I'm The Decider, no matter what you might hear on TV ... and right now I've decided to take a nap. But I'll be back when I feel like it. When I'm good and ready, I'll introduce you to my cat staff and our three human peons. Then you can watch what happens when cats get down to business.