Jasper Died on a Sunday

He died six months ago:
Sunday, June 10th, 2018.
He passed away at 4:27PM.
It was raining outside.

Tye was with him.
We were all with him. The whole family was together.
He was happy.
Tired, but happy. He was tired
and he just
went to sleep
one
last
time.

Our boy is gone and there's nothing for it.

I'm glad he was a part of our family.
I'm glad we had those last seven months--
good months--
with him:
months we weren't sure he would have,
months we weren't sure he would enjoy.
But he was happy.
We were happy.
I'll miss him forever.
I'm so happy that he was in our lives for so long.

Our boy is gone and there's nothing for it.

He was a great cat.
He was our tiny prince.
He gained a lot of different nicknames over the years.
He took a five-month road trip with us.
He loved to be shoulder-mounted.
He loved to eat cat grass
(even though it made him vomit).
He enjoyed crackers and bread for some reason.
He emitted a wide range of ear-piercing squeaks
(including what we dubbed "demando-voice").
He often had pointy or pokey feet.
He always liked napping in the bed with us
or curling up with Bayla or Tye.

Our boy is gone and there's nothing for it.

I still cry.
It's been months and I'll still,
every now and then,
see something around the house that reminds me of him,
and I won't be able to stop the tears.
Maybe it'll be like this for the rest of my life.
Maybe someday I'll be more happy than sad when I think of him.

Our boy is gone and there's nothing for it.

I miss so many things
and I don't want to forget.
I miss the way he'd come into the bathroom
when I was on the toilet
and rear up on his hind legs
to rub his face against my hands.
I'll miss his soft, chittering snores
and his low burbling purrs
and the way he'd twitch while he slept.
I used to wonder what he dreamt of,
why he often needed a wake-up snack.
For comfort?
Because he still remembered being feral,
being hungry,
not having a home?

I think we gave him a good home.
I hope we did our best to love him,
especially at the end.
I don't know.
I want to believe we did.
I should believe that.
Maybe later I will.
Maybe someday I'll know.

Today, all I know is this:

Our boy is gone and there's nothing for it.

Two Zero One Three Out

DeeAnn, Jasper, Tye, and I hope you're all enjoying your winter holidays! Here's the news from Apartment de Snout, where the women are strong, the men are still writing, and all the cats are above average:

Download PDF (1.2MB)

   

Important Data Visualization of the Day

Because I know you've been wondering:

That is all.

The Famine Teams: District 12, Mining

Jasper here! This is part twelve in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Twelve is home to a whole lot of miners! No, not minors, miners! People who do mining! You know, digging stuff out of the ground! Like coal, or diamonds, or ancient alien artif--oh, never mind!


Trivia question: Two of the players shown below are working together on a puzzle hunt event scheduled for 2014! Do you know who they are? Scroll to the bottom of this blog post for the answer!

---

12 Hangry Nerds
South Bay CA and Seattle WA


http://youtu.be/gJttrcQ-C6o

That person is wearing Google Glass! They may even have recorded part of this video #throughglass! I guess that is pretty cool, but cats don't like wearing things on our heads. I don't even like wearing things around my neck! Anyway, that training montage sure is something--all it's missing is some 1980s rock 'n' roll music! I have every confidence that Dan, Ederlyn, Francis, Richard, and Yuan will be prepared for whatever challenges await them in the Capitol!

---

Coeds on Fire
SF Bay Area


http://youtu.be/VZfJhRuR57A

Hey, wait a minute! These six people are actually three couples--two of them married, and the last engaged. Now I'm just a cat, but going into a possibly life-or-death contest with your significant other seems like a terrible idea! What are Dale & Linnsey and Wei-Hwa & Trisha and Melinda & Corey thinking? Well, maybe they just love each other so much they can't bear to be separated for even a single weekend. I suppose I can respect that! Humans are weird.



And that's all the Famine Game teams!

If you have more free time, you can watch all the public Famine Game application videos, including some teams who were not selected as tributes. I feel bad for them, but on the bright side, they've got that whole weekend free to do other fun things!


Trivia answer: YUAN NIU and COREY ANDERSON are the "lead coordinators" for next year's DASH 6!

tell the humans what you think of SNOUTCAST

hello... i'm TYE and i know some of you listen to the humans on their podcast every week... if you enjoy their talking... please consider rating or reviewing SNOUTCAST on the ITUNES STORE... i know they would really appreciate it...

i'll tell you how... it's so easy even a DOG could do it... OH SNAP

first try this... click on this link here...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/snoutcast/id348528472

that web page should have a blue button that says VIEW IN ITUNES... click that blue button to launch your ITUNES app... then SKIP DOWN to the DETAIL PAGE instructions below...

otherwise... if that doesn't work for you...

START HERE

first... open ITUNES and click the button that takes you to the STORE... as shown below...

easy huh... next... go to PODCASTS and then type SNOUTCAST in the search box at the upper right corner of the window... look at the screenshot here if you have trouble finding it...

you should see some search results... at the bottom should be the spiffy new SNOUTCAST logo... click on that...

SKIP HERE IF THE WEB PAGE THING WORKED

now you are at the DETAIL PAGE for the humans' podcast... just select RATINGS AND REVIEWS and you will be able to RATE their show... anywhere from one to five stars... or write a detailed REVIEW so other humans can know more about this show...

for example... you could tell them that they do not have enough CATS on the podcast... i know they talk about us quite a bit but we have never been featured guests... WHY IS THAT I ASK

anyway... i'm sure the humans will appreciate any feedback you would like to give on SNOUTCAST... you can also e-mail PODCAST@SNOUT.ORG if you have stuff to say to them directly... bye now

The Famine Teams: District 11, Agriculture

Jasper here! This is part eleven in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Eleven is all about agriculture! That means growing plants and stuff! Or so I am told. Cats aren't really into gardening. We are mighty hunters! Anyway.

---

CRANEA
SF Bay Area


http://youtu.be/2nXTvBYGs4w

These impressive young men certainly seem confident! I don't know who the unfortunate orange-haired victim is, but that fellow appears to have frequent and unfortunate encounters with Daniel, Eric, Mike, Jeremy, and/or Troy.

By the way, I love watching outtakes! Don't you just love watching outtakes? Let's watch them together.


http://youtu.be/HDyGhaOpYH4

---

Here Be Dragons
Seattle WA, Washington DC, San Francisco CA


http://youtu.be/ExqRPIsn8Wo

Boy, there sure is a lot of information packed into this one video! Not only does each team member have his or her own pangrammatic set of personal details, there's also action footage featuring other Gamers at what appears to be a Shinteki event!

At any rate, it's nice that they're so up front about their intention to be TOTAL CHEATERS. Other teams, you'd better watch your backs around Evan, Carl, Mark, Tanis, Sean, and Gaby! Their plan is so crazy, it just might work!

Next week: meet the teams from District Twelve!

The Famine Teams: District 10, Livestock

Jasper here! This is part ten in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Ten raises livestock! Like cows! And sheep! And... cows!

---

R.E.D.T.A.P.E.
Seattle WA



No video for you, but I believe many of the people on this team help run the annual Microsoft Intern Game! I also believe it's a thing for them to make their team name into a different acronym for every event, and this time they're the "Redundant Extraneous District Ten Agrarian Prairie Enforcers!"

---

Golden SmokingJay
San Francisco CA, East Bay CA, Los Angeles CA


http://youtu.be/f6PzlCPsyPQ

OMG DID THAT GUY JUST EAT SOME POOP.

Game veterans Brent & Linda Holman (Shinteki), Jonathan McCue (2013 Ravenchase Great America Race), David Andre (Cerebellum Capital), and John Owens (Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Davis) have combined to form a Voltron-like super-team of puzzlers! And when I say Voltron, I mean lions, not vehicles. Lions are super awesome!

Next week: meet the teams from District Eleven!

The Famine Teams: District 9, Grain

Jasper here! This is part nine in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Nine grows grain! Which is an ingredient in many types of cat food, even though we are obligate carnivores! Raaawwwrrr!

---

Revolution #9
Maryland


http://youtu.be/jr5eS-F6KM4

Filking! They're filking! And consuming alcoholic beverages on camera! Hide your kids, hide your wife!

The rubber chicken bits are pretty funny.

Anyway, Dustin, Mike, Alex, Donna, and Dave certainly seem to know their way around the wilds of... a local state park?

---

Disobedient Children
SF Bay Area and beyond



This teams sounds like a bunch of troublemakers, if you ask me!

Since they didn't provide a public video, here's something else for you to watch!


http://youtu.be/N_NspDWssIY

Next week: meet the teams from District Ten!

The Famine Teams: District 8, Textiles

Jasper here! This is part eight in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Eight makes textiles! Textiles are used in clothes! And hats! By the way, cats do not like hats, contrary to liberal media propaganda.

---

Silly Jefes
Seattle WA, New York, Virginia, North Carolina


http://youtu.be/UXzCgHKAGUk

I recognize many of these humans from their excellent work running the World Henchmen Organization Game a couple of years ago, not to mention several other events in the Seattle area! They sure seem to enjoy wearing a wide variety of hats, costumes, and personalities. Keep your eye on Jett, Nikhil, Sergey, Jeff, Donna, and Rena--I'm sure they're putting together real spiffy fancy-dress outfits for the Friday night opening of the Famine Game!

---

XX-Rated
San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, Seattle WA



This team also chose to keep their application video private, but I'm guessing they're captained by the crafty Rachel Weinstein Petterson, Ph.D.! And if that is the case, she has surely assembled a brace of brainy ladies who will give The Hunger Dames a run for their money! So to speak. I don't think there's any actual money on the line here!

Next week: meet the teams from District Nine! (Not that one.)

The Famine Teams: District 7, Lumber

Jasper here! This is part seven in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Seven is known for their lumber! I hope that's a noun and not a verb!

---

League of Extraordinary Puzzlemen (LXP)
CA, MA, MD, WA



These humans didn't make their application video public, but if it's the same team listed on the Bay Area Night Game (BANG) site, it should include puzzle masterminds Nick Baxter, Derek Kisman, and Thomas Snyder!

---

District Ubik
Washington DC, Nashville TN, San Francisco CA


http://youtu.be/BssGWBqembk

Well, I recognize two of those humans: Sarah Barnum, formerly of team Blood & Bones, and some guy named Rex who is currently playing in the Great America Race! Plus, I don't know if you noticed, but two of the other humans gave themselves away as husband and wife in this video. Giving away personal information? I'm not sure that's a great strategy, guys!

Next week: meet the teams from District Eight!

The Famine Teams: District 6, Transportation

Jasper here! This is part six in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Six handles transportation! I'm not sure what that means. Do they build trains? Provide operators to drive them? Do they also refine the fuel products used in such vehicles? It's honestly a bit confusing. Get it together, Suzanne Collins!

---

Briny Deep
Seattle WA


http://youtu.be/W83QUfOiiqM

You know these guys! They're pirates! Kenny, Andrew, Dave, Jeff, Peter are pretty well known in the Microsoft puzzle community, and I'm sure they'll do just fine in the Capitol! Unless they die! That probably won't happen.

---

The Burninators
Palo Alto CA


http://youtu.be/NRI6JLrO4NA

These may not be exactly the same Burninators as you've seen in other puzzle hunt events, but don't underestimate them! Doug Zongker once created Isotropic, an online version of the popular deck-building card game Dominion! Dan Egnor maintains the Puzzle Hunt Calendar, and a few years ago, shared some of his favorite Computer Tools for Puzzle Creation & Solving! And their teammates Cynthia Wong and Kekoa Proudfoot have bicycled through the Alps! Humans do some pretty wacky stuff.

Next week: meet the teams from District Seven!

The Famine Teams: District 5, Power

Jasper here! This is part five in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Five generates power--the electrical kind, I guess? That's pretty important!

---

Apetitius Giganticus
Boston MA, Las Vegas NV, Providence RI, San Fran CA, Seattle WA


http://youtu.be/BYG9mhMFQh0

Now these look like some serious competitors! I recognize Mike Selinker from his wildly successful Maze of Games Kickstarter (plus some other random stuff), inveterate crossword fiend Tyler Hinman, and mechanical puzzle maker Pavel Curtis. I'm sure their teammates Rachael Groynom, Dan Katz, and Scott Purdy are no slouches either!

Also, they appear to control a frog puppet, which always spells trouble.

ETA: Mike Selinker has dropped out, but Winston Breen creator Eric Berlin has taken his place!

---

Occam's Unicorn
SF Bay Area


http://youtu.be/kPkjY2shj5Y

Unicorn unicorn unicorn! That's a funny word, isn't it? Unicorn. Unicorn. Unicorn. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah! I've seen these humans before too, though not always wearing funny hats.

Ellen Juhlin and Erik Stuart were part of Game Control for the Doctor When Game, which they talked about in SnoutCasts #119 and #114, respectively! Stephanie Geerlings and Rion Snow both came to Portland for WarTron in 2012. Joanna Bresee is apparently good at Sudoku, and she used to work for NASA! Last but not least, Brett Rogers has two of the funniest bits in this video, and he knows a lot about geocaching!

Next week: meet the teams from District Six!

The Famine Teams: District 4, Fishing

Jasper here! This is part four in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Four is near and dear to my heart, because its main industry is something cats love: fishing!

---

Mystic Katfish
SF Bay Area, Sacramento CA, Pittsburgh PA, Washington DC


http://youtu.be/WNMh0bVTgdM

I had no idea Nancy Grace was so interested in The Famine Game, but okay, 'tevs, lady! You sure have a lot to say about stuff! And the Tributes' video certainly showed off their puzzling skills, but what's the deal with not showing your faces? Humans can be sooooo weird sometimes!

At any rate, that Twitter account totally exists. Maybe they'll say some more things later on!

---

This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Boston MA


http://youtu.be/AVaPNKEAOhw

Wow! These humans are all dressed up and looking sharp! I also have it on good authority that several members of this team were involved in running the highly successful WARTRON: BOSTON event last month! (Keen-eyed observers will recognize this "Caesar Flickerman" as Boston's "Professor Goto.") You might have to turn up the volume on this video to hear all their dialogue, but the "wilderness survival" footage is priceless!

Next week: meet the teams from District Five!

The Famine Teams: District 3, Technology

Jasper here! This is part three in a twelve-part series, looking at the teams who will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

District Three specializes in technology, which these two teams certainly show off in spades, what with their fancy graphics and modern architecture!

---

Bloodshot
SF Bay Area


http://youtu.be/MjWv-zrfVAM

These guys are bona fide Game veterans! They've helped run many events, including the Bay Area re-cast of the WHO Game, and some of them are starting to branch out even more! Bob has started a series of charity puzzle events which are also available online, and Rich is developing the ClueKeeper platform which anyone will be able to use for all kinds of hunts! I don't know what else Chris, Rico, Bill, and Mike have been up to, but I'm sure they are also fine upstanding young men!

Hey, look, more outtakes!


http://youtu.be/hCtZUY4lhl0

---

Death From Above
Boston MA


http://youtu.be/_CQvqJz_Ve0"

I have no idea who these humans are, but they appear to have shot their video in some kind of classroom setting, so they must be smart! Not only that, but they also incorporated at least five different codes that I recognized: Braille, semaphore, Dancing Men, Pigpen, and Morse! And I have it on good authority that they survived WARTRON: BOSTON a few weeks ago! Let's hope that Pranjal, Teasha, Paul, James, Sam, and Henry don't turn out to be too clever for their own good!

Next week: meet the teams from District Four!

The Famine Teams: District 2, Masonry

Jasper here! This is part two in a twelve-part series, examining the teams with which the humans will be playing in The Famine Game this fall!

Supposedly District Two specializes in masonry, but I'm not sure how that applies to these two teams, since neither one appears to demonstrate any skill in bricklaying or stonework. Maybe we'll find out later? Or maybe they mean Freemasonry? It's a mystery!

---

Bostucky Plugh
Kentucky, New Jersey, and Massachusetts


http://youtu.be/nIG6FrgSj8w

It's another bunch of unfamiliar humans! That would make sense, since I haven't been to any of those easterly states since 2008! Cats don't really like traveling that much, I've found. And we don't really enjoy puzzles, either, but if we did, I'm sure I would find some of the bits in this video downright fascinating! Or something. Anyway, nice to meet you, Mark, Joe, Nathan, and Paul! Try not to die!

---

The Puzzle Underground
Portland OR


http://youtu.be/VbZDD0GzJyw

Hey, I know these humans! Ana, Rob, Vic, Matt, and Emily have all been to our house many times before! Kate hasn't visited yet, but I hear she plays a mean harp. And I understand they're all regulars at Puzzled Pint, either as "solvers" or "constructors!" (I just learned that terminology recently, from Greg Costikyan's book Uncertainty in Games!) This trip to the Capitol might be the farthest these guys have ever traveled for a weekend Game, but I'm sure it'll be lots of fun and totally worth their while!

Next week: meet the teams from District Three!

The Famine Teams: District 1, Luxury

Jasper here! I don't understand why the humans like these "puzzle hunt" Games so much, but apparently there's another one coming up in a few months! They got very excited two weeks ago when something called "The Reaping" happened and their "team" was named as a Tribute. Hooray! I guess?

Anyway, twenty-three other teams were selected to play in this Game at the end of September, and I got curious about who the humans were going to encounter on their trip, so I did a little research! (Cats are awesome at Internet research. It's a fact. Look it up.) I'll be sharing my results over the next several Wednesdays, one district (two teams) at a time!

Let's begin! This is part one in a twelve-part series!

---

Team Snout
Portland OR, SF Bay Area, Norfolk, UK


http://youtu.be/x6JJEvriEZU

This team comprises my humans (Curtis and DeeAnn) plus their friends Cary, Chris, Corby, Josh, Karl, and Lisa! Astute observers will notice that eight people is two more than Game Control's recommended maximum team size, but that's okay. The humans have fielded teams as large as nine people in the past, and lived to tell the tale! I believe this time they've reserved a fifteen-passenger van, which should be quite (wait for it) luxurious!

But wait, there's MOAR: ten and a half minutes of outtakes, if you can stand it!


http://youtu.be/ZiH9W1ual24

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The Hunger Dames
Los Angeles CA


http://youtu.be/nMjTh0OF1E4

I have never met these humans before, but if I'm not mistaken, they are all female! That makes this only the second all-female Game team I've seen. It's about time! And I love how they own their womanliness in both word and wardrobe--calling themselves "The Hunger Dames," making their slogan "may the broads be ever in your favor," and wearing those stylish V-neck shirts! Knock 'em dead, Amy, Annie, Maggie, Maya, and Summer! But not literally. My humans need to come home and feed me! Cats get hungry too, you know!

Next week: meet the teams from District Two!

Christmas Greetings

Below please find our traditional year-end family newsletter, which hopefully does not inspire in you the depths of revulsion described by Garfunkel and Oates:


http://vimeo.com/8192170

You are, of course, free to not read it. We'll never know! But seriously, somebody really needs to adopt Lady Grey.



[ Download PDF - 176 KB ]

   

This cat would make a great Xmas gift!

Jasper here! If you live in the Portland metro area, we've got the perfect gift for that special human on your list: Lady Grey! She is a spayed female cat—a gray tuxedo Domestic Shorthair (DSH)—approximately five years old, and she would love to join your family!

Lady Grey likes to explore closets, climb furniture, eat wet and dry food, charge around the house, and watch the world out the window! She greets every visitor, and plays with everything from cat toys to postcards!

See for yourself! Lady Grey stars in this safe-for-work video...


http://youtu.be/l_0HK9GYgiY

...and this TOTES ADORBS photo slideshow!


picasaweb.google.com/116737692309729475506/MeetLadyGrey

I know, right? I'll bet you want to come whisk her away to your loving home right now! Well, here's how you can get in touch with our humans to arrange just that (click image to embiggen):



Make one of your fellow humans very happy with a new cat this holiday season! Preferably Lady Grey! SRSLY.

Note: you should not try to stuff Lady Grey into a stocking, or wrap her up in a box, for that matter! I recommend asking the lucky recipient to close his or her eyes, then gently placing Lady Grey into his or her arms. After that, just step back to reveal the surprise and witness the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

(Lady Grey will put herself in a corner just fine, but that's neither here nor there.)

you should ADOPT LADY GREY

hello... I'm TYE and as you know... we have had a GUEST CAT staying with us for the past few months... her name is LADY GREY... here is what she looks like...

now as much as fun as it has been having her around... she likes to run and play which is nice... it has put a bit of a damper on the bachelor lifestyle which JASPER and I previously enjoyed... so it would be nice if one of you lovely humans adopted her into your own lovely home...

if you are interested... please contact our humans by sending an "e-mail" to solechen+ladygrey@gmail.com... they would be happy to tell you all about her...

meanwhile... you can see more photos of LADY GREY online... and experience her supreme adoptability for yourself... do not delay... act now... KTHXBAI

Lady Grey Strikes Back!

Jasper here! Earlier this week there was an incident involving our beloved Food Robot and our somewhat disruptive house guest, Lady Grey! Everything is fine now, but I must report on these shenanigans!

It is possible that Lady Grey became aware that Food Robot is only designed to feed two cats, and since Tye and I have seniority in this household, she would always be the third wheel. It is also possible that this disparity came into stark relief when the humans were away for much of last weekend, and thus did not feed us as often.

But we do not deal in speculation! We are interested in facts! AND HERE ARE THE FACTS:

At 7:00 AM on Monday, November 5th, Food Robot delivered our breakfast as usual.



About twenty minutes later, Lady Grey approached Food Robot...



...and instigated a vicious and unprovoked attack! And yes, she is actually chewing on the blue tape which secures the ramp to the housing! Outrageous!




Moments later, summoned by Tye, one of the humans came along to document the crime scene.




And then we all went back to sleep for a while. The humans knew our next auto-feeding would not happen until 6:00 PM, so they had plenty of time to repair the damage.

BUT WAIT! Something else happened less than ninety minutes later, and it was caught on camera!



Really? Was that really necessary, Lady Grey? Really?



Sigh.

Though it took a few more hours, the humans eventually came to the rescue and rebuilt Food Robot! They also took the opportunity to improve the structural design of the ramp, as shown below!




(Those interested can view additional photographic evidence, or a complete video record from that day.)

I am happy to report that things are back to normal now, and Lady Grey has been behaving herself—more or less—since Monday!

So what have we learned? One, that Food Robot is vulnerable to feline interference; but we knew that already. Two, that Lady Grey is an inveterate troublemaker! Between this and chasing Tye and me all around the house, she is definitely ready to leave and go to her own home!



Please adopt Lady Grey! Contact the humans for more information.