RazCat

Life, art, and complaints of Cat Razim

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Florida Day 1 – prep!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Sorry. Residual stress from DRIVING TO FLORIDA FROM NEW YORK  WHATTHEHELLISWRONGWITHME!? It was fun. Seriously. No. Yes, I am crazy. I don’t think I was ever sane.

In case you haven’t heard me rant excitedly like a school girl for the last month- I’m here in the sunshine state for the #NASATweetUp of the Mars Space Laboratory dubbed “Curiosity”. I’m going to see and experience SO MUCH that I decided to blog about it.

First off. What is a NASATweetUp? Well, I suppose I should break it down even further to “What is a TweetUp”… A TweetUp is a gathering of people, specifically with at least one thing in common – they use twitter. The only way to enter is to use twitter. And if you win, the organization assumes you will tweet about it, and then tweet some more when you are at the gathering. In a way, it’s like unofficial publicity. NASA has seen this power of publicizing through twitter and figured out how to use it. NASATweetUps- using social media to gather people, with another thing in common (SPACE) and plan something amazing and fun that they’ll share with their friends and followers to help “spread the word”. Awesome for them. Awesome for us!

Now, about this Mars Space Laboratory… We are sending a new rover to Mars. The planet. No, I don’t think it is made of candy (no M&Ms on Mars… Cheese on the moon, however, is still debatable.) This SUV sized robot of awesome is going to to drive around the Gale Crater and “investigate the area’s past and present environments”(MSL press release. Seriously. Everyone should read this.) Basically, it’s going to observe and analyze what’s on the surface and below the surface (up to 6cm, I believe, with a laser!) and run other tests because it is a mobile laboratory on freaking MARS. (Well.. not there yet…)

(more…)

posted by Cathy Razim at 12:15 am  

Monday, October 17, 2011

#NASATweetup MarsCuriosity Launch

…. So I was chosen among 149 others to see the Mars Curiosity Rover Launch down at the Kennedy Space Center this Thanksgiving.

HOLY FREAKING EXCITED, BATMAN!!

expect more posts on this… Gotta go jump around and be all giddy now. Heheheheheheheheh

posted by Cathy Razim at 9:47 pm  

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene

I was born and raised on Long Island, NY. I still have family here and always drive down from Rochester to be with them. This time around, I was here for my nephew’s first birthday. My parents are in town, too, and I have my other sister’s kids here so I decided to stay awhile. (Love my sister’s couch…)

Then the impending doom of hurricane Irene threatened the East Coast.

Did I leave? HELL NO!

I never experienced a hurricane. I was just a mere fetus for Hurricane Gloria. So I was curious as to how this would turn out. Besides, earlier that week, I had experienced my first “earthquake” so.. why the hell not. I was gonna have Irene Rock me like a Hurricane!

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posted by Cathy Razim at 4:43 pm  

Friday, July 1, 2011

Book Review – Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy Book 2)

If it wasn’t clear in my last post – GO READ THE HUNGER GAMES! NOW!!

I seriously finished the second book about 20 minutes ago and while I clench the third and final book in my arms as I type this dying to know how it ends, I figure I should take a break and reflect on the second book. Maybe review? We’ll see how that works…

Now see, it’s hard enough to write a review the first time around since you want to just type and spoil away, unforgiving because in your mind EVERYONE should have read this already. However, it’s even more difficult to write something on the second.. now I have to be careful not to spoil the first or second book. I’ll try and be as careful as I can.

So… beware what’s below.

(more…)

posted by Cathy Razim at 12:24 am  

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Book Review: The Hunger Games

I’ve felt awful this past year. Aside from all the unneeded stress I’ve been piling up in my life, I haven’t been reading. What? How can I not READ?! Well. I’ve been doing tons of writing (that is beyond awful, I assure you.) But I haven’t been really reading. I do have a few books here and there that I started but haven’t gotten around to finishing. Remember that episode of Are You Afriad of the Dark where this kid never finished a book and the characters came to life? Well, if it’s true then expect a news report of my death at the hands of a samurai and a computer hacker off stage of a auto-biographical school play of a very flamboyant teen. Throw in some zombies for good measure and a very hot detective for the NYPD.

However, the other day I was at Target. A quick “in and out” shopping day (pffft. yeah right). I needed my command strips to hang a few new wonderful posters. I know the layout , and I knew to weave around the stationary (I LOVE PENS!) and past the book section towards the kitchen stuff, then the toys to get to said strips. (Everyone has a “route” right? or am I the only one?) And of course, I kept my hands in my back pockets through the ink filled wonders (COLOURED SHARPIE PENS ARE NOW IN PACKS!! AGH!) but took them out too soon when I reached the books. Hunger Games for $7!! HELL YES!

I’ve heard great things of this series. Nothing specific. I knew the very VERY simple premise. I had grown weary of Young Adult fiction since This Crap Came Along. (it shouldn’t have made it past the publisher. What drunk intern thought this crap was pasible for the public, I’m not sure.) But yeah. I read the first chapter, and was immediately HOOKED.

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posted by Cathy Razim at 6:29 pm  

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Cat is desperate…

I still feel bad for the cat. But the constant noises is getting annoying/scary. Is it wrong to dose with Children’s Benedryl?

It’s a bit worse for Joe since she must have figureed out he’s the “male” of our species. She is now lifting her ass to him, looking over her shoulder and mrooooowing!

She used to be a cute, quiet “mew” cat… now it’s MROOOOFFFFFFFFFEQUE!

Actually… This might help! It should start at 1:17… Watch to about 1:52….

Save us all…

posted by Cathy Razim at 12:04 am  

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Complaining, Xylitol, Cats in heat and just my ramblings on…

In trying to keep up my commitment to blog more often, I realized that I’m only blogging on matters that are “serious” or as an excuse to rant from a soap box no one is paying attention to. I like to complain. I do not realize I do it sometimes. Back in ninth grade I was dared to go a week without complaining. Yeah. I made it twenty minutes. To rectify this but still shout from the buoy where no one can hear me scream (like that one time jet skiing… ) I decided to finally get around to writing about happier things.

Who am I kidding? I’m still complaining but on a more humourous key for your amusement.

Fisrt off- DIETING!

Holy frakking kill-me- now-DIETING!

After about a year and a half I finally made it to a doctor’s office for a check up. (Lies. The new patient check up isn’t until September. I went during open clinic hours for an ear flushing. Don’t judge me and my “baby ear canals”) But, like they do, the first thing behind that large door separating the country kitchen waiting room (I kid you not) from the patient rooms was THE SCALE!

I’ve always hated scales.

Thunk! slide slide slide, thunk slide slide slide, thunk OH GOD MAKE IT STOP!!

*ahem* Yeah, So I started a diet or according to Arthur Agatston, MD – A better way of life. The South Beach diet (which my doctor recommend I try) I picked up The Boy Wonderful from work, went to the bookstore to find a book (yes people. books. I’ll rant on this later.) went to the AMAZING STORE OF AWESOME known as Wegmans and sat down with my Wonderful and planned our next week of meals.. the start of Phase 1.

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posted by Cathy Razim at 6:24 pm  

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Personal view on religion

One of my favourite Vloggers, John Green, decided to do a video on religion. No judgement. Then asked us (the viewers) to go over to the forum and discuss religion in a non-condensending way. So I wrote and rewrote something trying to be “to the point” and of course, failing. But I thought I’d copy it here. I mean. why not. It IS my blog. :P

This is an over-all view. I could get into detail (A LOT more detail) but I’ll spare you guys, too.

- – - – -

First Timer.
I grew up Atheist.. actually, that implies that I was “taught” atheism. Scratch that. I grew up without influences other than television, movies, and what friends would say when they would mention something from Religion class (“what’s religion?” I’d ask, and they would all shrug.) I guess hearing it from the outside, it was more like God and Jesus weren’t so much “people” as they were “Ideas”. I was taught the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, like I was taught that fire is hot, do not stare and smoking can cause cancer – A mix of values and morals instilled by my parents, teachers, friends, experience and media.

I think of myself more of a scholarly-type person. I love to learn. School was the best place to be. I willingly gave up my recess back in elementary school so I can help out in the library… payment came in the form of taking out more books than was otherwise allowed. History, science, art and fiction. This was the start of my love of archaeology, story-telling and where religion became more frequently discussed.

I started to dislike religion over the years, only hearing the bad things about it. Wars, death, the destruction of cultures because religion wanted to “share” their views for a better world. A “there can be only one!”- type of mentality. I was saddened by all this and short of meeting the Doctor or creating my own time machine, I had to accept that I will never know the true religious practices of the Ancient Egyptians or the first stories told of the first village in Africa. I only had books of “what ifs” and “maybes”. In my haste of quickly judging religion as the bad-guy, I set a very close friendship on a rocky path. I had no idea she was religious! Sigh… Another check on the list of why religion was on my bad side.

I’ve since met a guy (in University) who was raised Catholic and never missed a Sunday, sang in the choir and almost joined seminary (he liked math and engineering more). He got me to go to church. For four years I left crying almost every week. It was rare where I actually left thinking “okay, that makes sense.” There was too much that I disagreed with and too much disapproval and judgment. (the priest at University wasn’t too bad. He actually had a side workshop where he would talk about his time meditating with Buddhists and other religious -type philosophies. The priests from my boyfriend’s hometown, however, they manage to throw me into fits of rage every single time.) Talking to my boyfriend about issues over the years had led him to question why he followed. He is now in this “in between” but has a fear of “my family will hate me if I denounce my faith”.

So in my opinion I say religion is best as a system of ideas- Morals and Values- that should be followed. Think about it. Most have the similarities of “respect” and “love” and “faith” in their core! But the differences are what most focus on (unfortunately, those that focus on it also have “power” and this insistent need to share…)

I do understand and accept that we, as humans, are still young and some individuals still need a [current system of faith] in their lives. That’s fine… just don’t go start a war. Me personally? I don’t need a “father” or a book to remind me to go and decrease world suck. I was taught once to go help someone who dropped their bag of groceries and haven’t needed to think twice if I see someone else in the same need. People need to take care of one another in order for us to grow as individuals and as a society – so whatever tool or system helps you realize that you are as equally as important as the next person, follow it. (just be mindful of cults.. those usually don’t end well..)

In conclusion- do what should be done – “Love one another” and “don’t be a d-bag”.

- – - – -

posted by Cathy Razim at 5:11 am  

Friday, May 6, 2011

That Jon Stewart quote….

posted by Cathy Razim at 3:54 pm  

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Lingering feelings over the Dead.

May the 4th be with you.

Sorry, that was a small distraction. In contrast to the past few years where there was nothing but distraction in the news. You know, big issues like the recession or Health Reform being pushed aside for stupid little “Are you sure you’re an American, Mr. President?” It’s weird. Since Sunday night no one has focused on anything else besides Osama bin Laden, his death, the compound he lived in, it’s location, his body’s disposal (he’s sleeping with the fishes now). Political Pundints have been taking their Ritalin! Finally, they’ve only had the subscription for years…!

I’m not saying that it isn’t big news. It is! The face of evil of our generation has fallen.  If you’re fortunate enough to know someone who was alive during Hitler’s reign and remembered the day he finally fell, you’d probably hear similarities between how people reacted then to how they are reacting now.

“But where are the photos?” I don’t think we need the photos. It’s a shame that we’ve become so cynical of a society where there is no more faith in words or trust. Even if the President did release the photos, there will be the conspirators that shout, “shenanigans!” (Edit: Actually heard a good argument for showing the photos from Jon Stewart on the Daily show. It is important that we be exposed to the gruesome aspects of war. We haven’t been. All we have are video games where the bodies fade away “and a gold coin appears”. Hah, Agreed Jon.)

Though, as an American and a Human Being, I’m quiet pissed at how some people have been acting and what others are saying. I love social media, but the gossip and misinformation that spreads is a poison that must be dealt with. Not censored. I’m not one for censoring, I mean just plan untrue facts and one-sided truths that friends and family mindlessly copy/paste from each other. It spreads faster than wildfire and my twitter and facebook feeds are filled with this sludge. Though, If I didn’t want to get angry, I’d stay off the internet. But it’s unfortunately the only way to access the truth and whole story behind the misleading dribble. Fox news is the worst. CNN hasn’t been much better lately. Everyone has their own agenda.

If we wash our hands to help stop the spread of disease, why not do the same with misinformation?

But the comment that have inspired this post has been this joke that has lately invaded my feeds-

So, Osama bin Laden is standing before God waiting to hear his punishment, when God gets a tap on the shoulder.
Behind him stands 343 firefighters, 72 police officers, one K9 officer, 3,000 American citizens & over 5,000 soldiers. “Don’t worry, God, we got this!”

Why does this bother me? Besides the obvious disregard for religious belief,  it’s another hint at how self-centered American are. Al-Qaeda has been around since 1988. Since then it has inspired many other terrorist groups such as the Taliban. bin Laden was the founder of Al-Qaeda and thus inspired the radical ideals that caused the death of THOUSANDS more than the sum given in that statement. Does anyone else care?

Do you?

Because I haven’t seen or heard anyone point out the total death toll of this man.

And finally, here is my cynicism – No one has mentioned the hate he has inspired in all of us. The almost unnoticeable quick glance you gave someone at the airport? Suspect. Paranoia. The racism and the names. Osama did more than just plant hijackers on planes and smash them into buildings, or send suicide bombers into markets. He has done more damage to us mentally and emotionally than any body count. And that has not died. No. It still lives and continues to grow and spread. His Death toll is high, but those he infected is higher.

posted by Cathy Razim at 8:53 pm  
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