Waffles Wednesday: On The Road Again With a Therapy Cat In-Training

Hi everybuddy, Waffles here.

Yesterday Glogirly and I visited the ladies in the nursing home. Before we left the townhouse, I made sure that she packed everything I would need for my visit.

Um, Glogirly? Are my toys in here? Don't forget my toys!

I don't see my treats. Are you hiding them from me again? I promise not to eat the whole tub this time. Really, I promise. 

What's In My Therapy Cat Bag?

Did you know I have my own therapy visit bag for all my stuff? I bet you're dying to know what's inside!

1. Rabies certificate (ouch)
2. Therapy training log (my supervisor writes in it after each visit) 
3. Treats (yum)
4. Toys
5. Postcards to had out to the ladies
6. Kitty wipes in case I get dirty
7. My blanket in case I want to get out and sit in one of the ladies' chairs
8. My iPad with lots of my pictures 
9. And more treats

My Therapy Supervisor
I have an awesome supervisor at the nursing home. Her name is Kathy and she takes care of scheduling my time and making sure I get to see all the ladies that LOVE cats. She stays with me and Glogirly and does a wonderful job of introducing us. She works with all of therapy animals and really knows her stuff.

At the end of each visit, she fills out an evaluation. After my tenth supervised visit, I'll be able to apply to be Licensed Therapy Cat.


Here's what my supervisor wrote about me yesterday:
"Great visits today!! Waffles is getting even more comfortable."  ...She forgot to mention that I'm getting even more cute.


We're participating in BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. ...Ok, so Waffles isn't exactly 'wordless'...that's just how he rolls. Hop on over to check out all the other great pet blogs participating  HERE.

Happy Birthday to the Cat Blogosphere's Morgen! 

The Boss and I would like to wish Morgen a very Happy Birthday!!! Morgen is the magic man behind the Cat Blogosphere. That's where the who's who of cat bloggers join together to share important cat news and blog updates. He does a fabulous job and deserves a big round of applause and lots of kitty kisses. Thank you, Morgen!!! We ♥︎ you!

Last Day to Enter Laughing Cat Studio Giveaway!
One GLOGIRLY reader, anywhere in the WHOLE-WIDE-WORLD, will win a $50.00 gift card to spend however they like in the Laughing Cat Studio online store.
Deadline to enter: Wednesday, February 19 @ 11:59pm EST
Enter Laughing Cat Giveaway HERE

...or if you can't wait, save 20% now thru March 31 with promo code glocat20 at Laughing Cat Studio.



Vote for Mad Kitty Cocktail!
Let's get Waffles' picture on the NEW Mike's Harder Lemonade can!
Only 5 votes per person/email. If you've already voted, THANK YOU ♥︎

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Just click the link and log in with Facebook or your email.  If you're voting from outside the US, you'll need to click a drop down menu and select your location first. Once you're logged in, move the voting *slider* over to cast five whole votes! You'll only need to do this once ...that is, according to Mike. 
Voting does not play nice with the iPad or iPhone.

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Photo How-To's For The Cat Blogosphere Calendar

 

Hi everyone, Katie here.

Many of our friends and readers have cat blogs of their own. And if you do, you've likely heard about the 2014 Cats of the Cat Blogosphere Calendar that is currently in the works. Our friends Truffle and Brulee of Sweet Perfections are heading up this project and are currently accepting photo submissions for the calendar. Specific details can be found HERE.

We thought it might be helpful to share a few tips and tricks to make your photos purrfect for the calendar and for anything you might want them for. We'll also explain a few things about how to size your photos specifically for the calendar.

Our 5 photo submissions for the CB Calendar

⓵ Lighting is your BFF

Choose a spot in your house that has as much natural light pouring in from a window or door as possible. The model (kitty) should be facing the light and the photographer (your human) should have their back to the light.

⓶ Flash is not your BFF

The best photos are almost always taken with natural light. Us kitties have a tendency to close our eyes when the flash goes off or if we manage to keep our eyes open, they don't look nearly as pretty as they really are. Tell your human to leave the flashy turned off.

⓷ Get Down

Your human needs to get down. And I don't mean to boogie. They need to get down to your level. If you're sitting on the floor, they should be laying on the floor with their camera as close to the floor as their flexibility will allow.

⓸ Clean Up

Your human should pay attention to the background. Put the dirty shorts away, remove the pizza box and keep the background simple and clean. Too much clutter takes away from your feline beauty.

⓹ Be patient, Be ready

Some of the best photos are never staged. It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. WITH the camera ready.

⓺ Advanced Tip for Blurring the Background

This one applies to those of you using a DSLR. That's photography-speak for a camera that has detachable lenses. Many of your humans have asked us how we get the backgrounds in some of our photos to be blurry while still keeping the subject in focus. This is something that can turn an ordinary portrait into a stunning one. Glogirly uses a slightly longer lens, like a telephoto or a zoom lens. Her current favorite is a 35-85mm zoom. With the lens fully extended, she gets as close to me as the camera will allow her to focus. The better the lens, the more dramatic the effect, but it works beautifully. Just be careful to focus right on one of the subject's eyes. That will keep the most important part of the picture in focus and let the rest become soft. This takes practice, but you'll love the results.

The CB calendar is a page-a-day calendar, so that means a LOT of pictures! Each blogger may submit up to 5 photos, in order of priority.

Most photo editing software programs will allow you to crop your photos to a specific size and resolution. Using the sizing requirements shown in the above graphic will ensure your pictures print as beautifully as you see them on your own computer screen.

All three sizes are actually the same. Just use whichever is easiest for you.

Important! Your original photo must be at least as big as these measurements though. If you try to make your photo bigger than what came out of the camera, it will not print well. It will likely be fuzzy or pixelated.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments with your email and we'll make sure you receive an answer. We'll also post answers in the comments for anyone who wants to stop back. If you have a question, there are probably others that have the same one, so don't be shy!

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Official Swag Of The Cat Blogosphere

KATIE:  Hi everyone, Katie and Waffles Too here.
I'm the good looking one on the left in the super cool t-shirt. Waffles Too and I have something exciting to share with you today! Many of you are already familiar with our GLOGIRLY Zazzle Shop. You may have seen our Mustache Kitty line or the Official Gear of Katie Is Accused, the video.  Well we've got something NEW!!!  Waffles Too, take it away.

WAFFLES TOO:  Um, Boss?  Is this where I'm supposed to do the shameless gulp?

KATIE:  Plug, Waffles Too. Shameless plug.

WAFFLES TOO:  Um, hi everybuddy.  We just launched the  GLOGIRLY Cat Blogosphere Collection for Zazzle. 
It's got t-shirts and mugs and iPad cases and stickers and stuff. It's really cool.

KATIE:  We were so excited to be able to help with the new look of The Cat Blogosphere, we thought it might be fun to feature some great new branded swag in our store.  We don't want anyone to feel like they have to buy something...we're just proud of how it all looks and wanted to share it with you.

WAFFLES TOO:  Um, yeah we know that green papers are hard to find right now. I don't have ANY. Um, Boss? About my allow ants?

KATIE:  Allowance, Waffles. Allowance. And this is not the right time to talk about your allowance. We're saving our green papers so we can have a giveaway sometime soon. 

WAFFLES TOO:   Um, oh that's right. The Boss really wants to know what some of your favorite things are in the shop. So if you have time to visit our new GLOGIRLY Cat Blogosphere Collection for Zazzle, we'd love to hear from you in the comments. This is Waffles Too, out and over. 

Dear friends,

Please take our COMMENT POLL located near the top of our sidebar!

Thank mew!

♥ Katie & the orange boy

PAWALLA BOX GIVEAWAY ENDS TOMORROW:

Don't forget to enter our Pawalla Box Giveaway! Pawalla will be giving away TWO boxes of JOY to our wonderful GLOGIRLY readers. You can enter now through February 12.

Pssst: You can even tweet once a day for an extra chance!

GLOGIRLY Pawalla Box Giveaway HERE

Waffles Wednesday DETOUR

WAFFLES TOO:  Um, hi everyone. Waffles Too here.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Waffles Wednesday to bring you an important DE TOUR.

The boss tole me to meet her in the GLOGIRLY DESIGN car for a special ops assign mint. I said, "but Boss, I don't think I like mints." She tole me to hurry up and turn on the flashy lights and everything.

You see there was a big blogosphere mergency. And it needed our help.

Many of you are already members of The Cat Blogosphere, the central news hub for the cat blogging community. It's where lots of us cat bloggers share news, post links to our daily blog posts and meet new friends.

Don't worry if you've been living under a rock and have never heard of it before. Anyone can join.

Well, you sorta have to be a cat. Or at least like them.




Just last week, fellow cat blogger Morgen Pittman, adopted The Cat Blogosphere and has been working hard to create a whole new website for it. When the Boss heard the news, she sprung into action with a new logo, website header, badges...even a Facebook Cover for the recently launched Facebook Page.

The Boss had a chance to talk with Morgen's lead-cat, Little Isis, in an exclusive Q&A interview.

NEW Facebook Page, Graphics and Logo

KATIE:  Welcome, Little Isis. So when did you kittiesjoin The Cat Blogosphere? 

LITTLE ISIS:  We've followed the CB since it started in 2006 and have always been an active supporter.  The Cat Blogosphere is more than just a website, it's an active community of cat bloggers and we're proud to be part of that community.

New Website Header & Logo

KATIE:  So Isis...there's a whole lot of kitties in your house. I don't know if I have enough toes to count. Can you tell us about your blog and your partners in crime?

LITTLE ISIS:  Our blog is called Purchance To Dream and we started blogging in September 2006.  When it started, there were 3 cats: Spooker, Daphne, and Chloe.  Then along came me, and my brother Peter.  For a while, our Daddy Mo (who is also known as NTM or "Not The Mama in the Cat Blogosphere) had a shop in Michigan, and he had a shop cat named Jazper.  Then came Jack and Bella.  So there were eight of us.  But Jaz was happier as a shop cat, a loner who liked people but not other cats.  Jaz found a new Forever Home in Michigan before the rest of us moved to Florida. Now there are the SEVEN of us in Orlando: Spooker, Daphne, Chloe, Peter, Little Isis, Jack, and Bella.  

KATIE:  What's the most important aspect of the CB to you?

LITTLE ISIS:  The community.  Our hope in doing a re-boot of The Cat Blogosphere website, with a new Managing Editor, template, and graphics, will help this community get news and information and guide it into the future.  We have a new Facebook Page and Twitter account to help with the social media aspect of the site and to connect with as many cat lovers as possible.  We realize that not everyone has a cat blog anymore, but we are still a cat loving community and hope to be the news hub for this community.

KATIE:  This is a BIG job. Will you have a staff of minions? 

LITTLE ISIS:  The Cat Blogosphere has a great history of cat blogging reporters helping with news and posts, and we'll be starting this again soon.  For now, as we tweak the final template and get into a new routine, it's going to be me as the Lead Reporter, with my Daddy Mo as the Managing Editor, and my iDaddy Eyad as our behind the scenes IT guy.

KATIE:  So, Little Isis...any plans for the future you'd like to share?

LITTLE ISIS:  Taking over the internet!  Meowhahahaha!

KATIE:  I thought we already had. ; )

HOW TO CONNECT:
Visit The *new* Cat Blogosphere Website
Like The Cat Blogosphere on Facebook
Follow @catblogosphere on Twitter











WAFFLES TOO:   Pee. S. (can I say that???) Don't forget to vote for me in the 1-800-PetMeds Cat Naps & Dog Dreams Competition!!!  I'm in 2nd place behind a DOG. Every share and every tweet gets me a vote. You can only share once, but you can tweet to your heart's content!

Click HERE to vote for *Waffles Too to Ground Control*

1-800-PetMeds Cat Naps & Dog Dreams