Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

First test shots!

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Who let her bring that thing in here while I am trying to nap?

For some reason, I never wrote about it here, but back in the spring of 2009 I started asking around for advice and comments to help me pick a good digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR). I would be a first-time buyer for this type of camera. I’ve owned film and digital point-and-shoot cameras as well as entry-level film SLRs, but I would still consider myself very much an inexperienced photographer.

It took me a while, and my decision was based mostly on value and price rather than this year’s coolest technology. The camera I chose was Canon’s Rebel EOS XS.
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Oliver observes National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week

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This week is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week. I have to admit that most of our cats do not get annual checkups for much of their lives. Since they have all been indoor cats, and two of them actively feared leaving the house, their vet visits were kept to a bare minimum until they were seniors.

Oliver was determined to observe this week, and in fact, he got things off to an early start by requiring a vet visit on Saturday. He had a small lump on his nose that looked dark around the edges and seemed to have grown over the course of a week. Any type of canine or feline lump that isn’t obviously attributable to injury or insect bite is reason for us to overreact wildly due to lumps on past pets turning out to be malignant.

Unlike some of our past cats, Oliver is not scarier than the Rottweilers when dealing with the vet. Dr. B was able to examine him easily. He thought it was most likely just an almost-healed scab from an injury, but there was also a small possibility it could be ringworm. He took a skin scraping to do a fungal culture and we’ll know the results in a week to 10 days.

Oliver’s nose looks a lot better already, though, so I’m thinking (and hoping) it was just a healing injury that looked a little strange.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 16 of 31)

Kittyweiler: video optional

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Last week, I told you about Oliver’s forays into the back yard for fresh air and bonding with his Rottweilers. I also posted a few photos to a Facebook album and got several comments about how everyone’s leash-trained cats didn’t want to actually walk, or even move, while on leash. This was our experience, too. Here, watch for yourself:

Of all of the video attempts, this one showed the most motion. I think it was caused by an insect. A still camera could have almost recorded it; video seemed totally optional with the lack of action.

I took a little time to search out some tips on getting your cat to actually walk on leash. I am not very hopeful at what I found. Most of the how-to tips suggest getting your cat to follow you for treats. Even a kittyweiler like Oliver is not the most food-motivated life form unless you’re talking some really gross and smelly food that will not be fun to use as a lure. But sure, let’s give it a try. Watch for more video… unless my hands are too slick from fish slime to hold the camera!

(NaBloPoMo | July ’10: 20 of 31)

Unidentified Flying Objects: Axel and his frisbee video

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As promised a couple of weeks ago, here is the finished version of Axel’s soon-to-be-famous frisbee video, featuring guest appearances by Freya and Oliver!

I’m getting a little more comfortable with iMovie. I didn’t go out yesterday to buy the “Missing Manual” book, but I’m pretty sure I do want it. I know I’m not taking full advantage of the program and it seems like the fastest way to get up to speed would be to do some reading before and during experimenting. I’m still debating whether to get the printed version with one of my Amazon gift certificates, or order directly from O’Reilly to get the print + ebook combo package.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’10: 18 of 31)