Aby-a-Day – 2 Maj: Thanks, Facebook…(Travel Thursday)

Love it or hate it, Facebook is a reality. It’s annoying as hell, but it’s also a great way to stay in touch with friends and family (like friends from second grade and several of my cousins in Canada). And then there’s the “Memories” it likes to show you.

This photo was today’s memory, four years ago. Jacoby and I were on our way to the Seacoast show in New Hampshire, one of our favourites. We’re riding the T on our way to meet the friend I was staying with. Interestingly enough, I never included this photo in a blog post about the show (and I made several posts about it, too)!

So bittersweet…a happy memory, to be sure, but I miss that way he gazed at me.

Aby-a-Day – 4 April: Strollercat rides again (Hipstamatic Monday)

When Jacoby and I went to the Apple Store, I took some Hipstamatic photos of him on the red line train.

I love how riding the T is No Big Deal to him.

Jake was so happy to be back in his stroller!

He could not stop rubbing and head butting it.

He could do without the really screechy wheels, though.

He may look like a typical, blase commuter…

…but he can be as outraged at the T’s service as any Bostonian. This is why we’ll never get the Olympics.

Aby-a-Day – 3 March: Back in the Stroller again

Last Sunday, I needed to go to the Apple Store and it was a nice day, so I took Jacoby along with me.

I can’t remember the last time we went out to something that wasn’t a cat show. I think it may have actually been ArtBeat, last July.

Jake seemed really happy to be back in his stroller! However, that trip ended up in my MacBook Pro being sent in for repairs…and then replaced! And I only just got it back. So if you’ve been wondering where the posts have been…that’s what happened. I will be catching up over the next couple of days.

Aby-a-Day – November 21: “Speedy” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Speedy.”

Jacoby loves speed.

He just loves going fast.

Just look at these photos of him on the commuter rail. He had to sit up in the window and watch the world speed past him.

Typical Aby, always in a hurry.

“Can’t this thing go any faster!?”

Aby-a-Day – November 19: Commuting to the cat show

When we went to the NEMO show, Jacoby and I took the Commuter Rail down to Attleboro to meet Meg, and then we drove to Sturbridge.

I love going places with Jake. Whether he’s sitting on the floor…

…relaxing on a seat…

…or watching out the window, Jake is a great little travel buddy!

Aby-a-Day – October 25: Have WiFi, Will Facetime (Selfie Sunday)

The MBTA Commuter Rail system is not the greatest in the world, and its infrastructure could use an overhaul…but it does have free WiFi on most trains.

So, on the way home from the NEMO show last week, Jacoby and I FaceTimed with Björn while we rode the rail.

FaceTime is a huge part of our relationship. I shudder to think what we would do without it. Thank you, Roberto Garcia.

Aby-a-Day – September 28: Boston has not forgotten Strollercat (Hipstamatic Monday)

Ever since my bicycle accident a couple of months ago, my bike has felt a bit “off,” so I finally took it to Urban Adventours’ bike shop to get it looked at.

They have a really great bike shop, and it’s especially convenient for a city dweller. They’re open til 8pm Monday – Saturday, and they’re right on the Greenway near the Carousel, which is wicked convenient.

They also do repairs for a reasonable price, which is brilliant considering their location and convenience. It turned out, I was right: the rear wheel needed truing and the gears needed tightening. I also got her cleaned and lubed, and the whole thing only cost me $50. But the best part came when one of the young men working there wheeled out my bike. “Okay, I just gotta ask…” he started.

“The front basket? Yep, it’s for a cat or small dog! It’s a Dutch-made – of course! – pet bike carrier.”

“Okay,” he said, “Because I have a cat, but he would just jump out.”

“Well,” I said, “There’s a leash hook right here, so it’s like a seatbelt and they can’t jump out.” He then asked if I’d ever taken my cat for a bike ride in the basket. “No…” I explained, “But he has a stroller, and he loves to ride in that.”

“Oh, okay, so he’s been outside and he doesn’t freak out?”

“Nope, he loves going out. In fact, we got on the cover of the Herald once because we rode the T with his stroller…” I started telling the story of that fateful Tuesday T ride.

As I was relating the tale, the other guy working at the shop interrupted. “Wait…You’re STROLLERCAT lady!?”

“I…uh…yeah? Yep, that’s me. I’m Strollercat’s mom.” I gave him a blog card with a photo of Jake in his stroller.

“OMG!!! I can’t believe I’m meeting Strollercat’s person! OMG!” Then he texted someone. “I have to tell my friend, she’s going to DIE.”

At that moment, a young woman came in with a bike. “Hey, I just texted you! You know who this is? This is the woman wit Strollercat!” And the girl was also very impressed and happy to get a card.

It kind of blew me away…I mean, that was almost three years ago, and people still remember it. It’s almost like Jacoby and I have become a Boston urban legend!

Aby-a-Day: July 26: Home sweet T station

cats are known for their homing sense. And Jacoby’s is as strong as any cat’s.

As I’ve mentioned many times, he knows which T stop we live at.

Not only that, he knows the stop before our stop.

Once the doors close on that stop, he’s all ready for it to be our turn.

“Open, open, open!”

When we do get off at our stop, Jake knows exactly where we’re going.

Of course, we don’t take the escalator anymore, especially with his stroller.

But he knows where the elevator is.

“Why do all these doors take so long to open!?”

Jake is such an city cat. Riding in an elevator is just everyday routine.

And, like any urban dweller, he’s quite impatient with how long the ascent takes, no matter how quick a trip it is.

“Are we there yet?”

“Seriously? How is it possible that we are still on this elevator? Plus, it kind of smells like pee in here…I didn’t think you humans did that?”

Finally, the door opens!

Jake knows we have to take a second elevator to the street level.

As we approach the elevator to the street, he gets excited and stands up in his stroller.

I think he does that to make it feel like he’s going faster.

He waits impatiently for the doors to open.

Another (shorter) ride up and…

At last! The doors part and he is outside on the street!

The traffic and noise of Dorchester Ave. don’t bother him at all.

In fact, I think it bothers him less than being stuck in the smelly elevator did!

Aby-a-Day – July 25: “Stop” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Stop.”

And here is the famous Strollercat at the Davis Square T stop.

Just doing what Strollercat does…

…waiting for a train…

…so he can go for a ride!

Aby-a-Day – July 23: Stroller Attachment Disorder

When we ride the T in Boston, Jacoby generally stays in his stroller.

Which makes sense; it’s his movable territory, and he feels secure there.

But sometimes he wants to get out and explore.

And, if the train is fairly empty, I let him.

But it’s funny: when he’s had enough exploring…

…he jumps right back into his stroller…

…where he feels safe and secure. And this, I think, is the answer to the oft-asked question, “How do you manage to take him places?” It’s because of his stroller; when Jake feels secure, nothing fazes him.

Aby-a-Day – July 22: Wordless Wednesday (Jake and the Cat from Outer Space)

Aby-a-Day – July 20: Snapshots of ArtBeat (Hipstamatic Monday)

This past weekend was ArtBeat, Somerville’s infamous art festival.

As always, Jacoby and I went out to participate. It’s been a while since we’ve been out together, since Jake’s not currently doing therapy work. He really seemed to miss his stroller!

He also seemed to have missed riding the T.

At least, he seemed to be happy to be out and about meeting people and getting admired.

I have to admit, I’ve missed going places with him, too.

Once we got to Davis Square, I got our tags. This is my 16th one!

Jake got his tag, too, of course. This is his 6th ArtBeat – he’s been coming with me since 2010.

We had our traditional lunch – Redbones BBQ!

It was a bittersweet ArtBeat, though, since it’s probably the last one we’ll be able to go to.

It was a long day, and tiring in a good way. When we got home, we just relaxed in the art room, me on my cushions and Jake on his S-curve.

Aby-a-Day – June 29: Mini-Jake on the MBTA (Miniature Monday)

The other day I took mini-Jacoby for a trip to Cambridge on the Red Line.

I was amused, because I’ve taken the real Jake and Gun-Hee on the train so many times.

While we were underground, he sat nicely on the seat.

But just like Jake and Gun-Hee, his favourite part was looking out the window as we crossed the Charles River.

Unfortunately, it was dark, so he couldn’t see very much.

Hmm…I guess I might need to get him a stroller for these rides?

Aby-a-Day – March 24: If New York is the city that doesn’t sleep, Boston must be the city with narcolepsy (Cartoon Tuesday)

This is another one that I should have done earlier, back when the MBTA was shut down because of the snow.

The problem was, to finish this concept I needed a photo of the Broadway T station with the gate closed during the day, which doesn’t happen very often. Finally, it happened the Sunday of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, so I was able to get this cartoon out of my head and into this blog.

And this is a town that thinks it can handle the Summer Olympics. It can’t even keep its transit system running on a random Tuesday.

Strollercat is NOT amused with the T’s shenanigans.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Strollercat comments on the recent MBTA problems…

Because it needed to happen:

Aby-a-Day – October 28: The Escalator Incident (Part 5) (Cartoon Tuesday)

Here is the fifth and final page of the illustrated retelling of Jacoby’s escalator accident.

Page 1 can be found here…
Page 2 is here.
Page 3 is here.
And Page 4 is here.

You would never know Jake ever got his foot caught in an escalator to see him today. He was extremely lucky, I know. He easily could have lost his foot – or worse. But all he has is a little scar on one toe and a funny deformed claw. And…well, and a pretty good story to tell.

All these drawings are based on photos I took of Jake during this time. Here is Drama!Jake, Jake at the vet, and Jake as an ancient Egyptian mummy cat.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – October 21: The Escalator Incident (Part 4) (Cartoon Tuesday)

Here is the fourth page of the illustrated retelling of Jacoby’s escalator accident.

Page 1 can be found here…
Page 2 is here.
And Page 3 is here.

Stay tuned for the conclusion next week!

I didn’t have a good photo of a taxi cab, so I used this one by Emmanuel Amador on Flickr, which is used with a Creative Commons license.

And the last drawing of Jake is based on this photo I took while he was being worked on (and while I was helping hold him still). I honestly wasn’t being millennial and taking photos to post on Facebook; I got my phone out to check Jake’s weight so the doctor could sedate him without having to move him to the scale. While I was checking his weight, I went, “Oh, hey…I should get a photo,” so I took three. If I didn’t keep track of the cats’ weight on my iPhone, I wouldn’t have any photos at all.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – October 14: The Escalator Incident (Part 3) (Cartoon Tuesday)

Here is the third page of the illustrated retelling of Jacoby’s escalator accident.

Page 1 can be found here…
Page 2 is here.

Stay tuned for page 4!

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – October 7: The Escalator Incident (Part 2) (Cartoon Tuesday)

Here is the second page of the illustrated retelling of Jacoby’s escalator accident.

Page 1 can be found here…
Stay tuned for page 3!

(Fun fact: I suck at drawing myself.)

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – September 30: The Escalator Incident (Part 1) (Cartoon Tuesday)

Since we’re coming up on the anniversary of Jacoby’s escalator accident, I thought I’d tell the story in cartoon form. I have very few photos of the incident (since I was a little busy while it was happening), and it seemed like a good story to illustrate. It’s going to be a five-part series, so here is page 1:

Stay tuned for page 2!

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)