Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for January 30, 2023

I’m not one for diaries. If I see one nearby, I book it out of there…

Perhaps a tale for a slow news day?

I got here a bit early tonight so I took a trip down the “random” rabbit hole. As fate would have it, I was taken to the story arc where Sophie became the “Existential Dread”. Part of the arc showed Sophie writing her sad laments in her diary. I thought, how appropriate considering Sophie just found Lady Jane’s diary and is beginning to read it. The arc began on March 18, 2020 if anyone is interested in the same rabbit hole.

As someone who myself found solace in writing in a diary at times of great loneliness I am quite sympathetic to both Sophie and Lady Jane. Looking forward to seeing where this leads . . . . Meanwhile Tommy is quite confused!

Very observant, Tommy. Just bring her a cup of tea.

I just love how she calls him Thomas. can’t wait to see this story unfold. also, really digging that purple carpet/flooring.

Sophie has quite a scoop.

Tommy is so polite to leave Sophie’s food untouched.

Sophie’s yet another spirit animal for me. I’m always holed up with a book or video game and I just love my solitude. ❤

I hope you are listening, Burt!

Performed by Rita Coolidge: All Time High

All I wanted was a place to hide from my doubts and fears

Had no intention to worry all of my friends,

Funny how it always seems with life when you don’t look you find,

That there so many who care, love never ends!

…….

Now for Lady Jane,

I’ll learn of her hopes and dreams,

All her plans and schemes

Of one gone before!

Now for Lady Jane,

You have found a brand new friend,

So I will read, and we’ll succeed again!

…….

I don’t want to stop for a moment my reading,

But I must eat and sleep

I can feel you’re right here,

Not far away!

Somehow I can fell that through your diary I’ll get to know of you,

It’s like I’ll meet you real soon,

You’re here to stay!

…….

Now for Lady Jane,

I’ll learn of her hopes and dreams,

All her plans and schemes

Of one gone before!

Now for Lady Jane,

You have found a brand new friend,

So I will read, and we’ll succeed again!

And I appreciate the cursive writing!

OT: moving update

The kitties have adjusted pretty well. I have been doing a lot of unpacking and it is almost done! One of our kitties likes to go outside but we live by a busy road. We can’t get the invisible fence yet, so she was just kept on meowing to be let out. Does anyone have any advice?

I’m confused … I thought Tommy had passed.

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

Puckmosis: I am pleased to announce Adobe Style, Iron Glove, and Arachna have arrived from Afar.

Maat-Tilda: Wonderful! I have some ideas for a new tapestry with some jewels courtesy our recent visitors. Maybe Arachna and Adobe can create some new fabric.

Puckmosis: Wally and Iron Glove are talking about working on a model ship with Iggy. Looks like we’ll have some fantastic projects coming up in the near future.

Sometime later, the Artisans arrive

Sophititi: I’m really looking forward to working with Elvis-Anum on some calligraphy projects. Despite what he says, I can tell he is pleased. Oh, hello, Elvis. You look somewhat perplexed.

Elvis-Anum: Kat-Mandu just arrived with the papyrus scrolls. There’s one from someone I never heard of, and it looks as though it’s very old.

Sophititi: Does it have a return hieroglyph?

Elvis: The name says Jamila. I know that means beauty.

Tillie: Somehow that seems familiar. I think Jamila is from long ago.

Sophititi: Maybe I can do some research on her. I’ll start with the No Longer Hidden Library at the Great Pyramid, and then to the New Unhidden Library at the Very Good Pyramid!

The Artisans: Sounds like a plan.

Adobe Style: We’d all like to help.

The Royal Procurers: Not without us!

Dear Georgia, as a non-native speaker with a troubled eyesight, I have difficulty reading the “hand-written” script. Is it possible to replicate it somehow in an easier-to-read way in the alt-text or the comment section? Thank you. And thank you so much for the strip, it’s absolutely fantastic.

I predict that Sophie will emerge soon to share Lady Jane’s diary with Tommy.

Tommy is such a sweetie.

They are certainly amping up the suspense. I like Tommy’s expression in panel 4. I personally would be cautious about deciding a diary is newsworthy before reading it, but in the BCN world I am sure it will be fine and indeed a fascinating experience.

Reading through the BCW arc with Existential Dread, I reached the purple hammock! It’s going to look great in the apartment.

https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2020/04/19

As a diarist of long-standing, I feel this very much.

Seeing her happily reading messages from a literal kindred spirit, I think Sophie is going to love her new home…I can’t wait for them to actually meet!

Ooh, this ought to be interesting.

Isn’t a cat writing English in longhand “newsworthy” enough?

As I’ve mentioned previously, I have very neat and legible cursive (we were graded on it in grades 1-6, though my desire to vary from the prescribed “method” to something more aesthetically pleasing and personal to me sometimes got me in trouble). However, I have always had trouble reading other people’s cursive, unless it’s similar to mine (hand-written recipes in the back of Mom’s old Betty Crocker cookbook, for example). No vision probs, not dyslexic in the least. Anyone else have this experience?

Never understood the attraction of diaries or journals. Maybe it’s because I value my privacy, apparently more than most.

Lady Jane needs to tune up her prose a bit but it sounds like something Sophie would like.

Chapter Three: A warm place on a rainy day.

Sylvia slept well curled up deeply in the blankets of her bed. The exhaustion of the last few days melted away during the night renewing energies. Sylvia lay there listening to rain gently rapping against the glass of the windows. She sensed a presence in the room, not one of danger or concern, but a presence of curiosity. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Lady Jane sitting in the corner watching her.

“I hope you don’t mind, I stopped in to check on you and well you looked so at peace, I stayed a moment to watch you sleep.” Lady Jane said quite confidently. “Did you sleep well, my little one?”

Sylvia stretched her long delicate slight body, as she looked at Lady Jane in all her finery. She wondered to herself what it would be like to have the finer things in life that Lady Jane so obviously possessed, Things that she had never known, things that she had only dreamed about.

“I slept deliciously.” Sylvia replied. “I feel like I have been reborn again. How can I ever thank you for your kindness to me?”

“Oh think nothing of it.” replied Lady Jane. “Now let’s get you downstairs for a nice breakfast. You must be starving by now. The time has come,” Lady Jane said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —Of cabbages — and kings. It’s time we discuss your future my lovely little Sylvia.”

Sophie is about to become the “Ken Burns” of BCN.

I wonder if Lady Jane’s ghost is going to make an appearance? Also I wonder if there is any old video of her. We know from the strip from https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2021/07/12 that Burt has taps going back to at least 1991. Since Lady Jane didn’t appear in that footage it seems likely she was gone by then, but she was in the picture from the Halloween strip last year with baby Baba Mouse which was probably only 2 years earlier in 1989.

Wow, it’s the work of a true creator (i.e the amazing Georgia!) that I can become somewhat attached to a cat we haven’t even seen (have we?). Lady Jane sounds like she has an intriguing story to tell. I can barely wait to see what comes next

Gonna need anew mic. Sounds like an old journal is about to make a new journalist out of Sophie.

It is a good thing the creators of the comic strips don’t have the same restrictions as the commenters or today’s Arlo and Janis wouldn’t make it through the censors https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2023/01/30 :)

Late-breaking sad news—Cindy William’s, “Shirley” of Laverne and Shirley, has passed away. Shlemiel, schlimazal…R.I.P., Cindy.