Monty’s mom sent this to her earlier tonight . . . this is me cradling my nephew sweet Bilbo. Around Christmas I flew to Portland to watch him while Monty and her family drove up to Boise to scope it out. They wanted to get out of Portland and did! They now live in Boise. Though yeah: that weekend, Bilbo and I got stoned and hung out by the fireplace watching movies about medieval knights, a theme I had chosen arbitrarily. When I ran out of those, I watched a bunch of swashbuckling movies. It ruled.

I also discovered Bilbo is partially deaf?? Monty somehow did not know this before. I kept accidentally sneaking up on him . . . he didn’t know I was in the room until I got right up on him and touched him. This also explains why he has a strange / cute meow—the dude can’t hear himself!

I’ll see him again in a few weeks when I’m in New York City. I think more than anything, the thought of seeing Bilbo is what compels me to lurch further into the darkness of the future.

GET BONUS: Here is a picture of me holding my friend Logan’s parents’ black cat back in Detroit a few years ago. Her mom had said, “She never lets anyone hold her.” Sorry everyone, but your cats love me!