You can learn a lot about a person from their pets.

I have two cats (my girlfriend has three AND a dog, giving us 6 animals total).

They say pets take after their owners, so I thought I would give you all a chance to know me better by detailing my cats some.

So, here's the breakdown -

Atticus is a cocky cat that is just BIG. He's about 18 - 20 inches long from head to back hind legs and about 14 inches from the ground to the middle of his back. Add 23 pounds and you get an idea. He's a little heavy for his size, and it suites him. He can still jump 4 feet high counters with ease, so he is in shape. When the mood strikes him, he's a lover... but also a troublemaker when he wants to as well. He's smart; he learned how to open the latch on a screen door at a very young age. He's social able - he greets me at the door when I come home. He can be stubborn, but usually doesn't hold a grudge. Finally, he loves to explore and get out of the house. He isn't a threat to bolt never to be seen again, but he likes the idea of freedom.

Theodore is an average size cat. He's loveable to a fault sometimes, but also fairly well trained and intelligent. He loves to lick you! In fact, I have him trained. He sleeps with us and he knows that it's not allowed to come over and start licking my face until I begin rubbing my eyes. He always likes to be around people, more so than cats. There are times I think he has an identity crisis - he might think he is a dog. He's pack oriented, loves to lick, isn't fond of catnip, and will whine at the door if you don't let him in. Still, he's loyal and affectionate. He wears his feelings on his sleeve, is VERY social able, and doesn't mind cuddling.

That's me... well except I don't think I am a dog. It's funny, while Atticus can be more stubborn and prefers attention on his own time on occasion; it's those aspects that I think give him more of a personality than Theodore. Theo will take attention anyway he can get it and, I must confess, I am that way sometimes too. I am stubborn - ask my father. It took me WAY too long to learn to ride a bike for some reason. He'd take me to vast empty parking lots on the weekend, just so I wouldn't crash into anything. I had more scrapes learning to ride a bike than I have ever had since. As to the other traits, feel free to infer them onto to me as you see fit. I will say that I learned to unlatch a screen door a little faster than Atticus did, but probably not by much. ;)

Thank GOD! I got a flat tire!

So, my girlfriend just bought a bike. A middle of the line hybrid, about $400. She wanted to be able to have a bike that was more capable of keeping up with my touring bike so that we could bike together more often. Very sweet, since last year, I think I could have walked faster than she biked on her $60 piece of shit.

We like the canal trails that are prominent in the Rochester area. No traffic, few stops, and a nice view make it a solid choice for beginners and veterans alike. Happy/sad, they are doing contruction on the trail, so pieces are unrideable.

So we decide to take a shortcut of the trail towards home.

Note - I don't mind biking city streets... STREETS. In hindsight, I should have stuck to the streets, but my girlfriend was following me and I didn't want her riding in the streets. So, we stuck to the beaten up, much narrower, sidewalk - and I got a flat.

Whew!

I got the flat, looked at my girlfriend and was happy.

Why?

Because it wasn't her.

She had had a bad day. Note to the ignorant reader - when most women have bad days... RUN! Conversation, bonding, any acts of kindness during said embracing of the negative is not on rejected, but said sender is sent off with a venom of negativity that has the chance to envelope you as well. Is this sexist? Sure, but I DARE a woman to prove me wrong that this isn't the case with most of their gender.

So, I got a flat and was happy. In fact, after I realized I had the flat and that I hadn't done any rim damage to my bike, I actually sighed relied. I was a little over a mile from home, but she had her bike, I was perfectly capable of walking, and we had a solution ready-in-hand. She biked home and picked me up on my walk over. I guage I made it about half-way home when she picked me up, but the weather was perfect, the neighborhood was friendly (much to my pleasant surprise), and it wasn't my girlfriend that had the flat.

Good times.

A quote from a book I am reading...

"Melisande and Baudoin ate and bantered in low tones as they dined, speaking as lovers will, of inconsequential things."

- Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey

How much more succinct and accurate can you get, about lovers? I came home tonight from work and my girl was awake, even though she should have been asleep if she wanted to get enough sleep for work the next day. Her reason?

"I wanted to spend some time with you." (a paraphrase, I admit the exact dialogue eludes me)

So we talked, about ultimately inconsequential things. Sure, they matter, but in the big scheme of things, they don't in that we can't do anything about them.

I already had the interview; she already took the test, etc.

And yet, when I tucked her in for bed (we still do that with each other), I loved her more then than almost any other time I have loved her. A simple conversation, some cuddling, and an honest sharing of each other ("as lovers will") was all that was needed to rejuvenate our spirits.

Good stuff. Here's to "inconsequential things" being "bantered" about and (for a shameless plug) to Carey for writing a truly well thought out book.