Our good pal Ava just sent us this postcard from her trip to Japan. I am so J…

Over the weekend I stopped by the inaugural Brooklyn Flea. My visit was two-fold. First, I love flea markets and the prospect of strolling (as cold as it was) and browsing all morning was too good to miss. Secondly, I have been working with my friends at Three Birds Bakery on the branding and packaging of their Granola and wanted to see how it all came together. And I must say, it came together nicely and the ladies even SOLD OUT! Which, I might add, is not a surprise because their granola is absolutely delicious and freshly made. They have two kinds - one with fruit and one without - both are excellent.

Anyway as far as the flea market itself, there has been a lot of blogging and commenting on how “non-flea markety” it is (sometimes I get so sick of blogs and people complaining on them — like I am doing right now- um- anyway…) . For the record, I thought that the flea was perfectly lovely. It was spacious with a good number of vendors selling a nice variety of things. I thought there were plenty of vintage/antiques to satisfy my traditional flea market cravings and while I’m personally more into the “old” stuff, I really did enjoy seeing what people were crafting and making. I’ve got my eye on a bag from the Etsy table (different fabric than this link) and may just have to go back next week to pick it up. And to all the “haters,” don’t fret, I am sure the laws of supply and demand will, over time, adjust the offerings at the flea market to suit the shoppers. But isn’t it just sort of nice to see an event organized by a small community business/entity (brownstoner) bringing together other individuals and small business of the community.

In summary - go check out the flea this weekend and keep an eye out for that granola!

had a quasi sick day / working from home day today. This is sorta what the day has looked like.

by way of veronica

See the full gallery here.

Sent in from David by way of Sarah.

So I thought I’d look for some cat pictures today so I did a search on flickr for “cat, belly”. I got a few pictures of strippers and such but for the most part cats on their backs waiting for a scritch or taking a nap in the sun. Many were sweet but this guy really caught my eye.

Check out the story on Sgt. Podge (best cat name ever). He waits for his owner every morning at a designated spot for his ride home.

Dont forget about the FREE concert tomorrow in Park Slope (Sackett and 4th ave)
Click here for more info on the Brooklynbretta Music Festival (with Frauke, Man in Gray, The Exeter Popes, Twice as Bright and more…)

no crime in posting my own cat right?

Mimi is a new addition to a local bodega, and is (from what I hear) something of a nemesis to roommate and previous Shop Cat featured Gato Mittens. Mimi seems to have taken over the place and is enjoying a position of new found authority in a cushy bed behind the register. She can also be found monitoring her domain from the the flower display outside.