My New Years resolution is two-fold:

1 – Eat less crap
2 – Write more crap

    In service to the second resolution: The picture you see here is the last known photograph of my cat, Odo. He passed away a year ago this past Thanksgiving, and his clownish antics and dog-like loyalty have been sorely missed. By perusing my voluminous output from before that time period and my meager mediocrity afterwards, I have no choice but to conclude that he was my muse.

    Even though I have no shortage of other joys in my life, many of which were greater than anything a cat may provide, somehow this cat had embodied a vital part of my mojo and his passing reduced me immeasurably.

    I have another cat now, one whose name is Sisco. We adopted him as a kitten from a rescue agency in the beginning of the year, but despite his presence in the house my creative spark remained very small. I despaired quietly that it would be gone forever more, and that a cat is not enough–or had nothing to do with it in the first place.

    The spark seems to be returning of late, however. I was initially at pains to explain it, but have come upon a new working theory.

    My new theory is that I require an adult, male, neutered cat in order to write worth a damn. Sisco wasn’t providing the mojo because he was too young. Perhaps he could’ve fueled some potty-humor or nursery rhymes, but I didn’t try to produce any of that in the intervening year.

    But he’s all grown-up, now, and is radiating the necessary element, I think. With his adult feline presence shedding hair and purring at my side 2008 is going to be a productive year, I think.

    Here’s a picture of Sisco watching Meercat Manor: