a stray cat

On the way to work today a strange thing happened... I saw my first cat since arriving here. Strange because I saw cats all the time back in Portland. I suppose we're living in an urban enough area that there wouldn't be strays, but my workplace is a bit more suburban. 

I stopped briefly and pet its cheek but had to move on. It mewled and I have to say it really tugged at the heartstrings.

Ok, right, it can be a truism that people don't realize that "your baby is boring". Zillions of photos of all the minutia... A long stare and a burp can send parents tittering. But I'll confess that I had a love affair with the cat, Neko, I left behind.

People who don't like cats, or even other peoples cats, all this probably doesn't do anything for them. But there's something to be said for that warm ball of fur laying on you and purring contentedly to let you know it's going to be alright. As long as the food keeps coming and nothing too scary happens, life is good.



I've probably had about 5 cats over the years, some of which liked me and others didn't but something just bumped Neko into a whole other category. I mean, how many people photoshop a valentine for their pet?



Or dedicate their dissertation to them? Neko, if you're out there reading this daddy misses you terribly!

Off topic but today I also got carded for my ticket for the first time on the train. It was a little stunning how many people didn't have tickets actually. And there's no excuses they accept, so no use stammering. One guy was spitting mad that they were carding him, but what can you do?