My eyes! My eyes!
Check out this stellar gallery of Swedish dance bands from the 70's. You have never seen this many bad outfits and big sideburns in one place in your life.

Cat of the Week: Tiger
Because each time I'm at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA I meet yet another amazing cat that just steals my heart, I've decided to start a Cat of the Week feature here at Myth-Taken.

My first COTW is Tiger. He's a handsome 8-year old tabby (a vintage cat) who will sit in your lap until those metaphorical cows come home. He even has his own video. Tiger is living in a kitty condo with 8 other cats and when I walked in and sat down he immediately claimed my lap as his sovereign territory. He sat there, purring happily away, for 20 minutes while the other cats made do with random pets and scratches behind the ear. My lap was his.

Tiger was such a love that I went back into the condo at the end of my shift and exactly the same thing happened. I sat down, he curled up, and we stayed that way for about 10 minutes. It was actually painful to push him off and leave.

If you want a gentle, affectionate animal -- and the ultimate lap cat -- this charmer is your boy. We have unfortunately already ascertained that Cipher (The World's Most Amazing Cat, Screw You if You Don't Agree tm) is a one-cat only pet. Otherwise I honestly think Tiger would have come home with me this afternoon. He is beautiful, sweet, loving and (amazingly!) available.

To find out more visit the PHS website at peninsulahumanesociety.org. Tiger's ID number is A436762.

Somebody PLEASE give this guy a home. He's a total love bug.

The return of Smith
So Smith/Glory/Lily has popped back into my life. Not at our house, thankfully, unfortunately, but at the Humane Society. I had some free time this afternoon and went to the shelter to be with the kitties. And there she was.

She recognized me before I even saw her. I walked into the room and I hear this insistent meowing and saw a little white paw poking out through the cage. So I squatted down to see who was making all the noise and it was Lily. I was so happy to see her, but I think she was even happier to see me. When I opened the cage door she leapt into my arms and immediately began rubbing her head against me. I took her into the get acquainted room and we spent about 15 minutes together. She sniffed, she explored, she sat in my lap, she shed a lot, she explored some more, she attacked my shoelaces. I loved seeing her, knowing she was doing well, and knowing that she is in the perfect place to find a loving home.

I was concerned about seeing her again -- wondering how I'd feel. I'm surprised I don't feel as guilty as I thought I would. It was just a happy thing to be with her again and to know that I'll be able to take care of her until she finds her home.

The other highlight of my day was being covered in kittens. But I won't tell you because that will just make you jealous.

Radio Goo-Goo
Next week KZSU starts its interim schedule. This is the time between academic quarters when we toss out the regular schedule and it's all sort of up in the air. People leave. Other people take extra slots. Some do several shows a week. Some DJs break out of their usual genre and do completely different types of shows.

I'm one of those DJs.

Next week I'll be doing my regular Tuesday night world music show At the Cafe Bohemian from 6-8 pm. But on Wednesday (December 10) from 2-6 I'll be doing a show I'm calling Bathysphere Blues. It'll be blues so down deep that you'll get the bends if you come up too soon. The following week I am not doing my Tuesday night show, but from 2-5 on Wednesday the 17th I'm hosting Cipher's Crop Circle which will be a mash-up of soul, R&B, blues, jazz, and world. (Heavy on the Motown.)

Tune in, lovies.

World AIDS Day
December 1st is World AIDS Day. There will be events and ceremonies around the world. Close to home there is always something going on at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. It's a place that's special to me and my friends. The names of "the Steves" are part of the Circle of Friends, each has a tree planted in his honor, and it's where we gathered to commemorate 10 years since we lost Steve.

It's one of those days on which I cannot help but reflect. I miss them all the time, but every year on AIDS Day I think of them with love and sadness. And it inspires me to appreciate how lucky I was to have had them in my life. Steve, especially, was a huge part of who I am. I still cannot believe he's been gone so long, or that I shall grow old without him to lean on.

In honor of the day I urge you to do something sloppy, like tell the people in your life that you love them. It helps me to miss them less if I let their loss inspire something good.