An Unfortunate Case of Mord-Wixing (or: The Great Cat Costume Challenge Update)

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

i am sorry to say that there is little chance that my entry into Etsy's handmade costume contest will be considered this year...

last night - the supposed due date of 10/29 - i logged onto etsy to upload my entry, only to find that the details for the contest were missing. using an old bookmark, i pulled them up and discovered that the due date was not 10/29 - it was 10/26. my feeble little brain clearly flipped the 6 into a 9, and my typical "wait till the last minute, it's okay, i have time, i work better under pressure anyway" nature has disqualified me from the contest.

but gracie, having endured 5 separate photo "shoots" until we got a few pictures that were semi-decent illustrations of the costume, would not settle for a simple "oh well, i guess we'll try next year". she was seriously perturbed (see photos above), and in a major strike of indignation, decided to take matters into her own hands (paws). grace emailed the people at etsy (see email below).

note about costume: it turned out quite cute. felt vest, with flippers attached at the shoulders. felt slippers/feet, her least favorite part. felt beak, her second least favorite part. come to think of it, i'm not sure she has a favorite part...

below is the email that grace sent to etsy:

Dear Kind People at Etsy:

I write to respectfully ask that you grant kind consideration to this tardy entry into Etsy's Costume Contest.

My Person, Kate Thaete (username: katethaete) read through the details of the contest, paying careful attention to the due date of October 26th. Unfortunately, suffering from a minor episode of Dyslexia, she read the "6" as a "9".

She finished my costume in plenty of time, but alas, I admit I was resistant on multiple occasions to donning said costume. Only this past weekend was she able to take an entry-worthy photograph.

As a cat, I have a strong sense of justice and wouldn't normally request that you make an exception to such strongly-stated rules. However, I must appeal on the basis of the sheer torment I endured in posing for this photo. In my native environment, my fellow feline and I do not wear these things called "costumes" that you humans insist on wearing each October 31st. We take great pride in our own fur and need not disguise ourselves (but I digress).

So, in closing, I plead with you - please consider allowing this entry into your contest. I believe you'll find it among the best in the Pets category, specifically in the criteria of "Best Animal Usage".

Sincerely,
Grace the Cat/Penguin

Click here to see the entry.

grace eagerly awaits a response from etsy. i don't hold out much hope, but you can bet i'll keep you posted. Wink

(oh, and the monster costume for fugue was ingenious, but i couldn't make it work. it was a little over my head for sewing, and amazingly, cat's don't really like felt pajamas.)