Today’s theme music is a ‘Feline’s Choice’. Each night, my fur boys crowd the door and meow a request to go out. I not infrequently imagine a musical circling around their activities. Often, when they go out and sit down, listening to the darkness and listening, they sing this Pat Benatar song, “We Belong”, from 1984. Only, my boys aren’t singing, “We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder” they’re singing, “We belong to the night, but we run from the thunder.”
They’ve changed other words, too. I only know some of them, as my flooflish is limited. I’m not personally a big fan of this song; too eighties. If you were there, you probably understand.
Floofs Without Hats(floofinition) – Founded in Montreal in 1977, Floof Without Hats is a Floofnadian new wave floof rock (flock) band.
In use: “The greatest success for Floofs Without Hats came with their release of “The Kibble Dance” in 1982, which became a top ten hit in multiple countries.”
Floof Pistols(floofinition) – Legendary floof punk (flunk) rock band. Formed in London, Floofland, in 1975, they’re often cited as the music group that initiated
In use: “The Floof Pistols’ only studio album, Never Mind the Fur, Here’s the Floof Pistols, debuted as the number one flock album in the United Floofdom in 1977.”
Floofuet (floofinition) – A song and/or dance performance by two animals.
In use: “She opened a box of crackers, and the cat and dog became the traditional begging floofuet, “Give Me Some, Too”, with the dog whining and barking, and the cat meowing and purring.”
Three cats floof-share me. Each is jealous and distrustful of the other two. Each require me to love on them and then feed them separately from the others. To make it so, they sit and watch my movements, then spring into action and attempt to herd me when they see an opportunity. This is happening as I’m waking up, using the bathroom, making breakfast, brewing coffee, etc.
Each time the floofbuttz make a move, they look up with a question: “Are you gonna go my way?”
Lenny Kravitz put the question, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, into a muscular, guitar-heavy melody back in 1993. Given the lyrics, he may have had cats in mind when he composed it.
Floofbilly (floofinition) – An unsophisticated animal from a backwoods area.
In use: “The movie, The Beverly Floofbillies, and subsequent telefloofsion series by the same name, was a comic send up of floofbillies attempting to reason with a wealthier, shallower world through the lenses of their own simple culture.”
My Chemical Floofmance (floofinition) – A Floof Jersey floof rock (flock band). Founded in 2001, the band combined goth influences in their stage personae and floof punk (flunk), emo, pop punk, and attic rock (defined as things that you hear somewhere in the house that you’re not sure about).
In use: “My Chemical Floofmance’s third studio album, My Floof Parade, featuring the songs “Welcome to the Floof Parade” and “Famous Floof Words”, was certified double platinum in the UFA and the United Floofdom.”
Raucous dreams consumed the night. Oh, yes, there was too a floof fight.
4:30 AM. In this corner, wearing long black and white fur and weighing in at sixteen pounds…Tucker.
In the other corner, by the kibble bowl, that eleven pound ginger blade who used to be called Meep!…Papi.
I know Tucker started it because it’s always Tucker. Little combat was involved because Papi is a shrieker. His first one bought us awake and out of bed in one leap, and it was done. I swear that we moved like ninjas…little aging, graying ninjas…
But it’s email that gives me today’s theme music. Money…financing…sales ending today…the calls for assistance and donations and contributions dominated the box in a depressing blitz. Pelosi claimed her email wasn’t about money but Biden openly asked. Amazon and Costco crowed, look at what everyone is buying. Animal shelters and rescue groups wanted cash. The USPS needs help…
Such an AM gut punch even before my brekkie and coffee. Making them was when the theme song came: “Money (That’s What I Want)“.
The Beatles had a big hit with it, but I was channeling The Flying Lizards’ 1979 cover with Deborah Evans-Stickland. The Beatles were nakedly raw and emotional in their money demands. The Flying Lizards brought a mocking, flat monotone to their appeal.
My email solicitations were across the gamut: fear — they’re winning, they’re winning, give me money to fight back — to logic — no, it was all fear, fear of what will happen if you don’t give or buy, because you will be losing.
Anyway, that’s my music choice for today. Please listen and send me money. And stay healthy. Wear a damn mask.
Floofcom(floofinition) – 1. A humorous situation involving an animal.
In use: “Living with a macaw was like being in a floofcom as the smart and curious bird loves exploring and being involved in the family’s activities.”
2. A quantum floofchanics communication systems animals employ to soundlessly exchange messages.”
In use: When one of his cats disappeared, Michael told his house floofs, “Please use your floofcom and tell Papi to come home right away because I’m worried about him.” Fifteen minutes later, the cat was back.”
Arm continues improving. Strength, mobility, and flexibility in my fingers is returning. Improvement has been accelerating. Hoorah. Return to the doc in ten days.
Fiction writing is sloooowww. Did nine thousand words in fifteen days. That should’ve been done in less than five days, easy. Such a whiner, right? Yes, it’s my nature. I let it out, and then affirm, but, hey, you’re writing. It’s something. Be an optimist, not a pessimist.
By nature, I’m a pessimist and an optimist. I complain and release it, then address it to overcome it. Mostly. It’s all a sliding spectrum with moving targets every day. The thing I’ve recognized in myself is that while I go dark, I also return to the light.
I enjoy eavesdropping on my wife’s exercise class. An in-person Family Y class in origins, it went to Zoom after social distancing went live in Ashland, Oregon. Mary is the instructor. She began the class in 1975. Held Mon-Wed-Fri mornings, it’s very popular. Going online has allowed people who moved away to come back and re-fire friendships. Attendees from D.C., Portland, Idaho, Florida, and California are now regulars…again. Such a positive thing, a testament to community and friendship.
A beautiful night favored the area last night, wonderful for meteor spotting, except…cat. Two of the felines often accompany me as I go into the yard and check the sky. The house panther, though, kept winding around my legs and talking. Made it hard to move and focus, especially while craning my head back. I love my cats but sometimes, they’re a little much.
The ginger boy (Papi, aka Meep) apparently had a misadventure yesterday evening. Gone for hours, he returned subdued and disheveled. I checked for wounds and found none. He, a young cat who usually prowls the night, stayed in last night. All night.
Love this political ad. “Enough is Enough is Enough!” Vote Proud.
So, got my coffee, baby. Time to write like crazy at least one…more…time.
Michael Seidel, writer 