Exit, Stage Left

Heavens to Murgatroyd! (Remember Snagglepuss?) We're running late...have a wonderful weekend & we'll be back next week.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photograph by jaime via automatism)

Summer Mini-break

GG Central is taking a little break of about a week to get some writing finished. Have a great week!

ciao-meow/the Management

August 10 Update - A little under-the-weather + internet problems = delay in return. You can follow us on Twitter! Also, please check with the World Food Programme about Somalia(& the entire Horn of Africa) famine relief. Thank you.

August 21 Update - We hope for internet to be fixed soon. The Verizon strike is causing tremendous problems. No matter that Verizon claims that it is not.

(photograph by Sadie W. Harris via Ms. Muse)

Cat Naps While Editor Snaps

Giulia naps while her ever-suffering editor tries to make deadlines among other duties. It's the blog's third anniversary not that a certain pink-nosed orange & white cat seems to notice. Consulting the National Geographic domestic cat page about mysteries of the feline. Anything to put off cleaning the apartment. We shall return!

Here are 10 tips for taking great photographs of your cat. Obviously we read it after we snapped this shot.

ciao-meow/GG

GG Chic - The Catwalk Cats

Ooh la la. It's raining, as people say, cats & dogs. We love this adorable French cat with beret by Claire Owen. It reminded us of genius Grace Coddington's wonderful The Catwalk Cats. Here's a link to a Steidl Books illustration slideshow from the 2007 book. (No, we don't own it but someday...Giulia needs to earn some pocket money. We'll let you know how that turns out. Ahem. She's asleep right now, of course. Rainy day deep sleep.) We're also reminded of a favorite artist who channels cats, Jamie Shelman. Have you visited her Small Expectations blog? No? Immediately go there, well, here.

ciao-damp-meow/GG's editor

(French cat by Clare Owen via Audrey Hepburn Complex)

GG's La Rentreé Delay

Dearest Friends,

Upon looking at last year's entry on la rentreé, we realized that this state of affairs is not new. GG's editor is quite busy with an investigation as to why she is under-the-weather & how to come out from under it. Giulia, as we all know, hides her secret opposable thumbs & is of no help. She maintains that she is a publisher-muse, not a suffering writer. What cat suffers willingly? Or does anything uncomfortable?

Therefore, for the next week or so, we will run some popular posts from the archives that have been tweaked somewhat for timeliness, better photographs, & so forth. GG's editor's bricolage blog is up & running but at half-speed. We welcome your input on either blog. (You can make comments on GG on Facebook). There are excellent links on both pages. It's been a rather difficult summer here in Washington, DC & so we beg your indulgence.

ciao-meow/GG's editor

[This lovely photograph by thexmunichxromance reminds us of university days in Strasbourg, France. Via deviantArt]

GG Central - Summer Break

GG* is taking a much-needed break for the remainder of August. While we are away, please check out the links on this page, particularly Darfur Peace & Development Organization, Ante Up for Africa, Washington Animal Rescue League, Raise Hope for Congo, Enough Project, UNICEF, & the World Food Programme.

Please remember that Haiti remains in desperate need. Here is the link to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

As we write this, millions of Pakistanis--including children--are suffering terribly from the recent & continuing floods. Here is a list of American & international organizations collecting funds for aid.

For fun, comic relief, & also to help our dear animal friends visit Earl, Mooch, Chickpea & other great dudes at Mutts Comics website. (Yesh!) GG's editor would be delighted to hear from people via her bricolage blog.

ciao-meow/GG Central

*Giulia's editor is taking the break. Giulia is taking life with her usual equanimity (+ occasional bouts of wild celebration to prevent tedium).

Update - GG will return after Labor Day.

[photograph at the Lido di Ostia by Giampaolo Macorig via flickr details set]

Too Darn Hot

GG & her editor are hiding behind pulled blinds & in front of a fan. It's 108 degrees Fahrenheit. GG's editor's plans to look for a summer cardigan are on ice. Ahem. GG allowed a cool, wet cloth on her l'il red head. We'll bring you news of...stuff....soon. We have hot scrambled brains. [photograph, Ella Fitzgerald sings at Mr. Kelly's nightclub, Chicago, 1958, by Yale Joel/LIFE archives]

GG's Editor Hits Roof, Needs Peeling from Ceiling

GG has turned into a feline Pippi Longstocking. She has been so very devilish that her editor has to rest, perhaps for the rest of the month. Maybe until after the Fourth of July; we'll see. (Saving the world is all well & good, Giulia, but get your own computer!)

ciao-wild-meow/GG Central

[lovely photograph by Alexandra Grablewski; delusional feline via lol cats, we hang our head in shame.]

Lunatic on Bulbs

That's what Emily Dickinson said of herself & it applies to GG Central, too. We're preoccupied with gardens, lately/always. Tiger lilies were a favorite of Miss D. ( GG is a tiger lily). Here is the New York Times article Emily Dickinson's Garden at the New York Botanical Gardens. The exhibit runs through 12 June 2010. If you are near there (or will be), we hear it's fabulous. Since GG's editor ran a similar post on her blog, a veritable mountain of articles & stories has piled up & so we realize this is not news for many people. But you never know--one cannot follow everything. Judith Farr's The Gardens of Emily Dickinson (2005) was really the first book to combine the subject of the poet & her gardens & we salute her. Read it!

We'll be running photographs & images from GG's editor for a week or so -- until we get back on all four paws (so to speak). (Retail news about the Darfur Peace Baskets is forthcoming.)

[Flora's Feast, a Masque of Flowers by British illustrator Walter Crane; botanical image via Ray Allen's wildflowergardening.wordpress.com; third image, guess who?]

Postal Break

GG Central is on break for a few more days. Meanwhile, you can send a note to bricolage (GG's editor's site). Wouldn't you love to have a mail box like one of these? Especially in such a herd? [by talented Olga, via Benevolent Postcard Society]

ciao-meow

PS: Don't forget to visit Darfur Peace & Development Organization. Thanks so much.

Sunday Update/23 May 2010: GG will be on break until Memorial Day (31 May 2010). Please do visit our friends & colleagues on this page. ciao!

Gigi & GG - Week's End

GG celebrated her blog-birthday by watching Gigi for the first time. As she falls asleep during most films, her editor does not know if she liked it (or not). But her ears moved up & down, front & back quite a lot as "Gigi!" is pronounced (& sung) more than any other word(s), except perhaps "Paris" or "I'm bored!" These are especially charming images from the film (& one drawing of pretty Leslie Caron as Gigi - by Cecil Beaton). As ever, GG would love a hat & is still agitating for one that will accommodate her ear-tips.

ciao-meow during an especially busy week...The Management

Giulia Geranium Turns Two!

Giulia seems unaware of this turning point because her to-do list consists of two items: causing trouble, being cute. However, her editor must search for photographs, beg for money for various causes, & generally make a pest of herself. Caught up short (again) this year, we turn to Hazel at The Clever Pup who created this marvellous multi-media geranium for GG's last birthday. We love it & are happy to show it today.

By the by, The Clever Pup has a terrific etsy shop, The Plum Plum (points if you can guess the name's provenance) with accompanying blog, here. We've purchased several things & are very pleased with them. Go for it--lovely work, excellent prices, made by an non-enslaved worker. What's not to like? (Really, if you think of a good reason, contact GG's editor on her blog.)

A donation to Darfur Peace & Development's Women's Center (the new baskets have arrived!) on behalf of Giulia's birthday would also be a fabulous tribute to the Royal Redhead.

ciao-mille-grazie-meow/GG Central

[image by Hazel Smith/all rights reserved/used with permission]

Cinnamon Girl - Week's End

A rare shot of GG. She how she's contemplating going to the Human Rights Art Festival this weekend? Actually, this was taken on Easter weekend...& GG seriously, really, no kidding perks up every time she hears Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl. Which is just about every day. She expects to fly & dance, too. She's one cool cat & her editor will never compare.

Maybe we'll see you at the fair. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to visit the editor's blog, here. Have a great weekend, whatever your plans.

ciao-meow/GG Central

[personal photograph & scan from Mirror Ball]

A GG Invite: Human Rights Art Festival

GG is rousing from Spring Break. She & her editor are still under-the-weather but invite you to the Human Rights Art Festival in Silver Spring, MD this Friday through Sunday (23-25 April 2010). We will be posting this week about the festival, but consider this your official invitation! Stay tuned. If you can't attend, we'd still love it if you clicked the links & read what it's all about (& see all the exciting sponsors, events in our neighborhood).

Some Giulia fans have asked if she will be at the festival. We have hopes but her recently diagnosed asthma may make this impossible. We'll see. (She hates that answer.) GG's editor would love to meet you, though. Be in touch through e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, or her blog, bricolage (where you can leave a comment).

ciao-meow/GG Central

[image by Tom Block/all rights reserved/used with permission]

Buona Pasqua from GG - Week's End

GG & her editor wish everyone who celebrates the holiday, a peaceful & lamb-like Easter. (Or happy spring, you get the idea.) We've asked GG to behave in polite company this weekend. We live in hope.

ciao-baa-meow/The Management

[adorable lambs via {this is is glamorous}]

Happy St. David's Day from GG

Dodging red dragons, leek-wearing hockey fans (we remain neutral in public), & poets declaiming Wordsworth (it's a pretty interesting neighborhood), we're off to purchase party supplies. Giulia remains in loaf mode, mooching about the house. She has appointed her editor as chief organizer of GG Central's St. David's Day Celebration (1 March 2010). This is not very sporting of her but she does not care because she is a cat. Therefore, without further ado, we present a gorgeous shot of two lovely daffodils & must run to the store.

Ciao-meow & cariad to all our friends, Welsh, Welsh-North American, or otherwise. See here for a GG's editor's St. David's Day memory in Italy. Si.

[lovely photograph by the brilliant Jan/brynmeillion via flickr]

GG Nests - Week's End

The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.-Zora Neale Hurston

As GG's editor tries to catch up, clean up, read, write, & rest, here are some pretty pictures of the future. It seems far away today. (Giulia, being a cat, remains unconcerned & asleep.)

ciao-meow/the Mgmt.

Update: Posting will resume by March 1st. St. David's Day!

[photographs via end of march/tumblr & ashley spirals loves/tumblr ,via we heart it]

GG - Do Not Have a Cow. Please.

This is what GG's editor told the feline in question about our lack of heat & so on. Her little paw pads were nearly frozen & she was squealing like a cornered rabbit. We were rescued on Monday evening & are in an undisclosed location. So far with power, coffee, books, & other amusements. Four days of below 40 degrees can leave two girls feeling mighty cranky & upset. (You have no idea.) We'll be posting on GG's editor's blog later & you can comment there if you like. Don't forget Haitians & Sudanese (among others, including your neighbors)!

ciao-snowy-meow/GG Central Management in Exile (Weather Related)

[photograph by msgooner via we heart it)

GG's City Townhouse

GG received this wonderful holiday gift on Saturday from her friends Maria Caterina & Hermione the Cat. She's ever so busy making a wish-list for furnishings, looking at swatches for wallpaper (well, she's lounging on Elle Decor at the moment), & generally making a nuisance of herself (when she's not sleeping on one of her two new floors). Thank you MCat & Hermione! (*Below is a description & link to the new & non-embarrassing cat item to have 'round the house via DrsFosterSmith.com)

ciao-meow/GG's interior decorator

*City Place boasts an urban brownstone design at a small town price. This durable cardboard hideaway is ideal for cats that love open boxes. City Place is a petite version of our popular Cat Cottage, with three levels to explore (including roof). City Place features three, double-thick cardboard levels, two windows, and two entrance cutouts. Assembly is required, and full instructions are included. For cats up to 20 lbs. 21" x 23-1/2" x 27" high.

Merry Christmas from GG - Week's End

Very best Christmas wishes to our friends around the world! [illustration via Vintage Holiday Crafts]

ciao-meow/Giulia & her editor