Little French Cat Musings

Little French Cat in Lausanne, Switzerland

2011-08-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

in front of Hotel Chateau D'ouchy

I just returned from my eurotrip and I'm exhausted. I have so many sights and photos from around western Europe to share. I stopped over in Lausanne, Switzerland and I had a nice lunch with a great view of Lake Geneva. I was walking by a nice hotel and I thought I would get into the champagne bucket.

Little French Cat at Boston Marathon 2011

2011-04-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Patriots Day Boston! I decided to take the day off from my busy schedule to watch the Boston Marathon. I picked a nice spot in Brookline about 2 miles from the finish and arrived in time to see the elite men and women come by.

in Boston for the marathon

Little French Cat uses Autotrader

2011-03-27T13:53:00.001-04:00

Little French Cat meets sled dogs in Quebec

2011-02-17T13:02:00.002-05:00

with sled dogs

Another photo in Quebec with some cute sled dogs during carnival. Interestingly, the dogs ignored everyone else during the photos except me. I seem to always draw the attention of dogs and cats where ever I go. There is also a puppy sleeping right behind the two dogs. This guy was raking in some serious cash. He was asking $2 for a photo and he appeared to have collected more than a $1000 dollars in the short time we was standing on the corner. Next year i'll have to rent a few dogs and charge for photos so I can finance my whole trip during winter carnival.

Little French Cat eats poutine in Quebec

2011-02-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

mmm poutine

Quebec is only place that you can find decent poutine anywhere. The ideal poutine is a perfect blend of fresh cheese curds, warm gravy, and crispy fries. You know the cheese curds are fresh when they make a squeaking noise when you chew on them. For my money, Chez Asthon has the best curds in Canada. The regular size that you see above will set you back nearly $9, but you do get a fair amount of cheese and there is probably nothing better to warm you up after freezing your whiskers in the zero degree weather outside.

Little French Cat in front of Chateau Frontenac, Quebec Canada

2011-02-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

Chateau Frontenac

Quebec, Canada is the coldest place i've ever been in the world. I do try to make it every year to their fabulous winter carnival which is usually held for 2 weeks in late January/early February. This year for the first time that I can remember the US dollar was worth less than the Canadian dollar. If you have some US quarters sitting around, make sure to bring some with you. For years i've been on the receiving end of worthless canadian quarters that don't work in US vending machines or washers/dryers, but to my surprise US quarters seem to work in parking meters and maybe even vending machines.

At the 4th Somerville Jingle Bell 5K Run & Walk sponsored by Marathon Sports

2010-12-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Every year there's a race around Christmas time where hundreds of runners wearing festive clothing come running down by my apartment. Below are some of the highlights from the race on Dec. 19th, 2010. I took a bunch of photos, some blurry and some rather unflattering. Congrats to all that ran/walked the race. If anyone would like to me to check if I have any photos of you, just email me a bib number with your finish time to check.

Happy Holidays!

Fast santas

The Flash

Couldn't wait for next year's Santa Speedo Run

Saw this guy running last year too

The Celtic Grinch

Santa with Grinch gloves

dedicated reindeer and elves

The nut and nutcracker

Full of energy

Another Grinch

First dog I saw running this year

probably not running a PR today

bringing up the back of the pack

smoking and proud of it

Little French Cat goes to the Head of the Charles

2010-10-25T15:51:00.001-04:00

This is the second year that I attended the annual Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, MA. It's a great event that draws rowers and spectators from around the world. My favorite part is all the swag that is given out by the companies. This year I scored some Turkey Hill ice cream, energy bars, cereal, coffee, and an assortment of juices.

on a bridge overlooking the race

Little French Cat tests video on Nikon D7000

2010-10-17T19:08:00.002-04:00

I finally got a better chance to test the video capabilities of the Nikon D7000. It is significantly better than the Nikon D90, but then again I can't imagine any camera being much worse than the Nikon D90 for video.

Here are several clips of a band called Battlehooch that was playing on the Boston Common on October 17, 2010.

Battlehooch

Battlehooch

Battlehooch Video 1 (720p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyqPUJ3NMI4

Battlehooch Video 2 (720p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4JWNidvupQ

Battlehooch Video 3 (720p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLB9z2QyObA

Battlehooch Video 4 (720p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F1Sx_ujvaI

Little French Cat gets a Nikon D7000

2010-10-15T12:17:00.007-04:00

Christmas arrived early again this year! Luckily after finding out the Nikon D7000 finally landed in stores, I called my local Best Buy and asked them to hold one for me. Wahoo, I can't wait to charge it up and put it through some comparison tests with my trusty Nikon D90.

You can still pre-order the body only from Amazon linked below, which is what I was planning to get until I found a great discount coupon for Best Buy. More to come later

A few sample shots from around Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA

ISO 100, 200mm f/2.8 1/60s (70-200mm)

ISO 100, 70mm f/3.5 1/400s (70-200mm)

ISO 100, 120mm f/2.8 1/50s (70-200mm)

ISO 100, 70mm f/2.8 1/50s (70-200mm)

ISO 100, 116mm f/2.8 1/400s (70-200mm)

ISO 100, 26mm f/5.6 1/125s (18-105mm)

ISO 100, 48mm f/4.8 1/80s (18-105mm)

Video sample links (all videos are unedited and quite shaky)

Band Playing in Boston Common (720p) (clip 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyqPUJ3NMI4

People walking by (720p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2KafM8n59U

Harvard Tour, focus focus (720p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw_5AqwFNmA

Flag Football (720p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd1E4-jG3I0

Little French Cat goes Leaf Peeping in Vermont

2010-10-04T18:27:00.000-04:00

Living in New England has its advantages from time to time. The beginning of fall brings out the abundant apples, cider, and the wonderful colorful changing of the leaves. Normally peak season arrives later in October, but I was surprised to find out on Saturday that it had already arrived in most parts of Vermont. So I set off on Sunday for my annual foliage trip driving through New Hampshire and Vermont with stops in Hanover, Quechee, Woodstock, and Killington. My first stop is always Hanover, NH for its fabulous restaurants surrounding Dartmouth College's beautiful campus. On this particular day I had lunch at Molly's Restaurant. I'm addicted to the mac and cheese here as well as the free warm out of the oven bread. Also, the $2 margarita deal is one of my favorite reasons to stop here.

After lunch, I headed toward Woodstock, VT which was filled with out of state older tourists. There are a lot of quaint shops in Woodstock as well a historic covered wooden bridge. I played with some dachshund puppies on the main square and gawked at a Aston Martin Rapide from California before I headed onward to Killington, VT.

Killington is known for its excellent ski resort and the town has an interesting display of hay animals in front of business establishments. Here I am below on a birdlike creature with a fish in its mouth.

Me on some kind of bird, pelican or turkey maybe

After driving through Killington, I noticed some signs for scenic gondola rides. I don't know if this is the first year that Killington resort has opened up the gondola lift during the fall, but it was the first time I noticed it. So I paid my $15 and made my way to the summit on the gondola. When I exited the gondola at the summit, the first thing I saw was a sign for the trail to the summit which was called "CATWALK" LOL.

It was a rocky 5-10 minute climb to the summit, but wow the views were amazing.

Top of Mt. Killington 4235'

While I was admiring the colorful view I met a new friend from Israel, Liran, who had been hiking the Appalachian Trial with his Grover-like buddy. Unfortunately, his camera died from the rain humidity during his hike so I offered to take a couple of photos and email them to him.

with my new friend from Israel

look at the colorful trees at the bottom of Mt. Killington

Back on the bottom of the mountain I took this last photo during golden hour.

Little French Cat Goes to Kauai, Hawaii

2010-09-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

It’s been one of the longest breaks I’ve had from a true vacation in a long time due to the terrible economy. I did finally manage to get away to Hawaii after finding some hotel deals and using frequent flyer miles. I arrived in Kauai just as Johnny Depp and the rest of the crew filming a Pirates of Caribbean sequel left for the other islands. I stayed at the Kaua'i Marriott Resort which has the largest pool in all of Hawaii and it's conveniently located close to the airport and major shops. They just completed a major renovation so all the rooms are up to date with modern amenities and extremely comfortable beds and pillows. If you are ever in Hawaii make sure to try a lava flow drink, preferably from Duke's which can usually be found on each island. It's similar to a pina colada but the strawberry swirl inside is delectable. My favorite island drink of all time.

the pool at the Kauai Marriott

When you arrive in Kauai, it soon becomes evident that the locals have given up trying to contain the wild chickens that roam all around the island. Really, they are everywhere, from the airport, to the roads, and even shopping and eating at Costco.

hunting wild chickens in Kauai

Kauai is known as the 'garden isle', but I was surprised to discover that there is a remarkable canyon that rivals the views seen from the Grand Canyon. The Waimea Canyon isn't nearly as large nor as deep as the Grand Canyon, but the views are much more colorful.

Waimea Canyon

The north side of the island is known for some amazing snorkeling and lavish resorts. The view from the St. Regis at Princeville is truly a wonder to behold and the photos can't begin to capture the beauty of the view from the hotel built on a cliff overlooking a clear coral filled bay sheltered with lush green mountains.

view from the deck at the St. Regis

After getting some advice from a scuba/snorkel guide for the best snorkeling on the island I headed to tunnels beach which is around the area of mountains seen directly behind me in the photo above. On my to tunnels beach I stopped around Hanalei where I saw a clear river flowing into the ocean.

by the river

I finally made it to tunnels beach which was a short hike from the parking lot. I think the beach gets its name from the coral which has hundreds of tunnel like passages running beneath and through it. I spent alot of time snorkeling there with the fishes and even swam with 3 or 4 sea turtles.

tunnels beach filled with sea turtles and fish

The other main resort area on Kauai is located in Poipu on the southern coast of the island. The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa is lovely and I probably would have stayed here if I didn't get such a good deal at the Marriott. The resort is more remote and the nearest major shops and restaurants are more of a trek away. Where the Marriott has an enormous pool, the Grand Hyatt has several larger and smaller pools scattered around their property.

by the pool at the Grand Hyatt Kauai

Little French Cat Goes to the Museum

2010-09-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

I just recently returned from a trip to New York City where I spent most of my day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park. I was surprised to see that there was a large nest built on top of the roof garden. The sculpture is made of bamboo by artists Mike and Doug Starn and is available for tours where you can climb up and through to the top of the sculpture 50ft above the roof.

rooftop garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Someone built a giant bird nest on top of the museum

Me in front of the Museum with my pin

Little French Cat celebrates his 4th Birthday

2010-09-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and I was surprised and delighted by how many of my friends on facebook wished me a happy birthday. I had a slight headache this morning from all the food(lunch from Hana Sushi in Cambridge, MA, dinner at Market by Jean-Georges Vongerichten in Boston), wine and cake that I ate. Mmm...I do love a good cake. My birthday cake was a raspberry mousse cake with layers of sponge cake in between layers of fluffy mousse and topped with vanilla frosting and fresh raspberries.

mmm raspberry mousse cake

Little French Cat Gets an Apple iPhone 4

2010-09-02T11:22:00.001-04:00

I'm a fan of nearly all things Apple and I can remember back when I was waiting on the line to pick up the original iPhone. Three years later and I was back on line waiting to pick up my pre-order for the iPhone 4. Wow! I love this phone, the screen is absolutely incredible to look at and the A4 processor inside is super fast. The camera and HD video camera are excellent and the screen makes the photos and videos look even better. I'm addicted to using this phone, I play games on it, read books and magazines using ibooks, browse the web and check emails, update facebook, listen to music and watch videos, find locations and directions using maps and gps, track my runs with runkeeper, send texts and pictures, and sometimes I even use it for phone calls. The iphone 4 is a remarkable and beautiful phone, although the the only criticisms I have is that it's a bit slippery with all that pretty glass and metal and the glass enclased black phone can get incredibly hot in the sun very quickly.

Bravo, Apple for creating a masterpiece.

My iPhone 4

Little French Cat goes to Perkins Cove, Maine

2010-09-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

Nearly every summer for the last 6 years I usually make a trip to Maine to enjoy their beaches, lighthouses, lobster, and ice cream. I normally visit Ogunquit which I think has one of the nicest beaches in New England with its shallow waters and wide stretches of sand. Before I head home for the day, I like to stop by Richardson's for some ice cream near the Nubble Light House. This year I also stopped by Perkins Cove, which has a scenic harbor area. One word of warning about Maine, it has beautiful beaches, but the water is freezing cold even in the summer. I nearly froze my tail off.

Perkins Cove

Nubble Light House

Little French Cat Meets Alice in Wonderland

2010-08-31T16:46:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed my time at Epcot in Disneyworld, everyone was so friendly to me. This is a shot of me with my new girlfriend, Alice in Wonderland.

Little French Cat plays with Pluto at Disney World

2010-05-07T18:38:00.002-04:00

I had so much fun at Disney World meeting all my favorite characters. Here I am playing with Pluto.

Little French Cat Meets Mickey Mouse at Disney World

2010-05-06T14:00:00.001-04:00

Here I am with Mickey Mouse in Disney World in Orlando. I like Epcot because I can visit France in the World showcase and enjoy french food. I had a lot of fun meeting all the Disney characters.

Little French Cat reads comics on his Apple Ipad

2010-04-05T22:47:00.001-04:00

Wow, this ipad thingy is amazing. I'm reading books and comics, watching videos, surfing the web, checking my email. Thanks Apple and Steve Jobs for making this ultimate cat toy.

Happy Easter Everyone!

2010-04-04T17:06:00.001-04:00

Mmmm delicious chocolate swiss rabbit. I found it under a bush on my deck. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

Little French Cat is a member of Phi Theta Kappa

2010-03-29T18:40:00.000-04:00

Hello, today I received my Phi Theta Kappa honor society member pin officially making me a genius among cats. I also learned I can now get a discount on my car insurance with Geico.

Little French Cat counts down to Winter Olympics in Vancouver

2010-02-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

I have fond memories of Vancouver, British Columbia during the summer. I saw some stupid tourists taking a picture with a raccoon in Stanley Park and I walked across a really high suspension bridge. I'm here with my sister at the beach.

Little French Cat reads Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

2010-01-28T16:47:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed reading Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. It's a non fiction story about a Syrian-American painter/contractor, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, who stays behind in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. I highly recommend picking up a copy and reading it yourself. It's currently rated 4.5/5 stars on Amazon and all the author's proceeds from the book go toward the Zeitoun Foundation, a nonprofit which aims to rebuild New Orleans and ensure the human rights of all Americans.

Little French Cat with MGM Grand Lion

2010-01-25T19:50:00.001-05:00

This is me in front of the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. Behind me is the golden MGM Lion...he's really huge although you might not be able to tell from this shot,