Betrayal

I did not realize this would happen, but there came a day when I realized that Lucy had betrayed me. A couple months after we got married it occurred to me that she preferred Latino over me. It happened the day he came home and Lucy went right up and rubbed against him. She proceeded to drop onto her side and look up at him with big doll eyes, begging for his attention. Then she started making a habit of following him around like a little duckling. He will get up off the couch and call her and she prances behind him like he holds the key to her heart. He calls her from a different room and she comes running.

This is the true test of loyalty. Lucy prefers Latino's feet to mine and whenever he stops petting her she looks straight up at him, demanding more. She keeps rearranging her position to maximize the surface area of her body that gets attention from his foot. I try reminding her that I am the one who has fed her and kept a roof over her head for over eight years. She does not care! She just glances longingly outside, like that is where she would rather be anyway. And if it was up to Latino that is where she would be. Maybe that is why she likes him.

Cat of my Dreams

I have been known to have some pretty crazy dreams. The details are a little fuzzy but the gist of one particular dream was that I was dating a dog. I remember being worried about whether I would get along with his human. Rightfully so, it would take a rare human to let his dog date a human. I guess it would take an even rarer human to date a dog. Perhaps we would get along after all. Regardless, it was just a dream.

When I told Latino about my strange dream, without even missing a beat he said, "If it were a a cat I would believe it, but a dog?!..."

I am not sure if that means he could see me dating a cat in real life or just in a dream. I don't think I want to know the answer.

Cat Video Festival

I love Minneapolis. People from all over the world have contributed to the popularity of watching cat videos on the internet. But Minneapolis pioneered a celebration of this trend by initiating the first ever International Internet Cat Video Festival. I marked it on my calendar immediately when I heard about the event. Latino and I and another friend journeyed to this festival not knowing what to expect, other than that it would be awesome. (My friend and I were more convinced than Latino). We should have gotten a clue about the popularity of the event when we were fighting traffic and barely made it on time. Crossing the street to the huge hill by the Walker Art Center, we looked up to view THOUSANDS of people crammed onto the hill behind the screen. I had never been to an outdoor event that was standing room only, but once we made our way to the top of the hill, we did not have a choice but to stand. We were shocked and delighted at the turnout.

We proceeded to watch clip after clip of the best cat videos, which were voted on in advance as the favorites by people all over the world. Admittedly, I had already seen most of the videos. But that did not stop me from enjoying every single minute and laughing along with thousands of people at the same time. It was such a unifying event. With people so divided on many political and social issues, it was such a pleasure to see everyone at such a lighthearted event, united by cats!

Latino was laughing along with us and everyone else. Every time I looked at him he was smiling and laughing. After the event, I asked if he liked it.

"Not really."

"Are you sure? You really seemed to be having a good time."

"It was okay."

I pretended to believe him.

This year, the International Internet Cat Video Festival will be moving to the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on August 28th. Tickets will ensure that everyone has a place to sit. See you there!!!

http://www.walkerart.org/calendar/2013/internet-cat-video-festival-2