A few people in my office have decided to start doing our own daily Secret Word.  If you’d like to play along, today’s word is “crab.”  Scream real loud the next time someone tells you about their newly acquired STD.

Some of you may have guessed from my multiple postings of cat pictures that I’m kind of a cat lover.  I had two cats, Stinky and Boo.  Yesterday Stinky passed away. 

Stinky was a very special cat and I loved him very much.  As I often told people, I didn’t name him (his previous owner did), but secretly I really liked his name - I thought it was funny and it gave him character.  He was a tiny little black and white cat (he never weighed more than 8 lbs.) who thought he was pretty bad ass.

 I got him 8 years ago when I subletted an apartment in Soho that had 2 cats living in it.  Part of the deal was that my roommate and I would feed and take care of the cats in return for a reduced rent.  For the first month that I lived in the apartment, I never saw Stinky.  He and his sister, Angel, were so skittish that they never came out from their hiding places.  We only knew they were still around because their food bowls would be empty in the morning. 

One day the guy I was subletting the place from came by to pick up his mail.  I happened to be in the apartment at the time and Stinky (unaware of my presence) came running out to say hello to his owner.  He froze when he saw me, but after a few moments he seemed to decide I was okay, and he came over and jumped up in my lap.  We were completely inseparable after that day, and when I left the apartment his owner agreed to let me take Stinky with me.

Stinky was the most loving cat ever.  He was always giving me kisses and he always wanted to be near me (if he couldn’t be sitting in my lap, that is).  I never slept a single night in my apartment without Stinky curled up by my head.  I often joked that he was more like a dog than a cat.  He even barked at me if he wanted attention!  (Mah! Mah-ma.  Mah-mah-MAH!)

Have you ever had a pet that was yours?  Stinky was my cat and I was his person.  I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the little guy, but nothing could be done.

I found a scratch on my chest, right above my heart, that Stinky must have accidentally done when I was taking him to the vet yesterday.  This little cat left a more permanent mark on my heart that will never fade.  I’ll miss him forever.    

(Thanks for reading)

Buffy-prov was HOT, y’all.

My parents dressed up their cat Atticus for Halloween.  This is the kind of cat-loving family I come from.

My cat Boo likes to earn his name.

Adam Lambert says that this album cover is purposely “ridiculous.”  The lady doth protest too much, methinks.