First, I couldn't find the battery charger for my digital camera... which I don't guess I've unpacked since the move. So, I decided to videotape us (Philip, the cats and me) sitting by the Christmas tree, then grap a frame from it with my video editing software. But my G4 Mac was giving me problems... I haven't booted it up since before we moved (over six months). I couldn't get it to come on and function for more than several seconds before it would freeze and the screen would go black.

So, I ended up using some software on Philip's laptop (which is really the only computer we use anymore) to capture the video clip and take a vidcap image... but the resolution was ultra-low. But here it is... our winter holiday portrait for 2004. I'm the one with the mullet / afro... Philip is the baldy... Sangria is the multi-colored cat... Hepsebah is the gray kitten... Bitumen is the black kitten. Aren't we cute?

:-)

Right after this frame, as the footage was being shot, Philip sneezed (he is allergic to cats) and all three of the cats flew away in a wave of claws and fuzz. I bled. But it was funny.