When A Cat Goes Missing

She's gone. Our cat Sinki (shortened from Helsinki), that is. No explanation. She just vanished like the Mayans. Nobody remembers her escaping the house (she's a housecat). Yet here we are-four days on-with no cat. We've scoured the neighborhood, the attic, any nook and cranny on the outside of the house in and in the yard.

Her brother, Russell (the cat) cries for her and we all have an ache in our heart which is made all the more pointed when a two-year-old asks for an explanation or when he calls out for her as we walk the street searching.

Who knows the inner workings of cats? Why do they disappear? For what reason leaving behind a mystery that at least until now remains unsolved.

We love you Sinki. Come back home.

Of Rock Bands, Music, Counting and Toddlers

Some bands know how to have fun. Kids love to have fun. That's why fun bands eventually make albums for kids. The latest band to do just that is the Barenaked Ladies and the album is called Snacktime. The result is a win-win situation. Young kids learn, older kids appreciate the humor and the Barenaked Ladies have (had) a blast making the album.

It's absolutely brilliant and every Mom, Dad and teacher should own a copy. Here's a video using the music from the song "7,8,9" from that album.

Of Bikes, A Toddler and $10,000.00

Because I ride a bike and because he has ridden behind me and my bike in his titanium satellite "wheeled tent", for most of his life he is bike-obsessed.









I don't subscribe to Velo News but a friend of mine does. He gives me his used copies when he's done. My son who is not yet two, reads the issues before I get a chance. This concerns me. It concerns me because bikes are expensive. The kinds of bikes Aidan points to with glee in Velo News and says "Dada!!" are exactly $5000.00 give or take a thousand. This, of course means I need to get two of them. One for him and one for me. I know he will insist on this by the time he is three.

It's a matter of credibility. The longer I hold out on said bikes, the less credibility I have as 1-a cyclist and 2-a father. The stakes are high! The main problem, at least for now, is that I earn exactly $1.84 per month blogging.

My current, singular goal (the one I am manifesting using methods described in The Secret) is to become a full-time writer/blogger by year's end. I figure, I can hold off on the bike purchases by then. In the meantime, though, in case The Secret turns out to be bogus, I am accepting donations-to preserve my standing as respected father/cyclist. Just e-mail me if you're in the mood to drop ten grand for "charity".