I should tell you about Hungry Cat

I've never been a cat person.

I've had room-mates who were cat-people, except when it came to cleaning up after the beasts. Long story short, there were a couple of thousands of dollars to the apartment, they skipped the county, blah blah blah.

But now, we have two cats. My cat, Fasa, sleeps on my bed and occasionally wanders the house. Her cat, Ariel, bullies everyone in the house. My sister-in-law has a cat, too, who is very cat-like. I mean, he's the damn archetype of "Cat." He's also a jerk.

There's a stray who hangs out in our backyard. We call him "Hungry Cat" because, well, he's hungry.

My cat wakes me up by biting me, so I can give him food and water. My wife's cat attacks the hand that pets her. My sister-in-law's cat knocks over glasses filled with water, but only after he's gotten your attention. On the best days, they're a source of comfort and amusement. On the worst, they walk around like they own the place.

But you're not on this page to read about cats. And I'm not really here to write about cats. They're a part of the family, and a part that brings the family to a sane, calm level.

Let me tell you about something I see at work now and again. In one of the buildings I work in, I take lunch in a huge cafeteria. In the cafeteria, a group of women of Indian background meet every day for lunch. They fill the table with containers full of food, and share. Everyone brings something they cook from home, and they all share. As far as I know, they aren't at all related, except by their relationships at work. They just meet together every day, share food, share some time, and talk about stuff. How cool is that?

Does this have anything to do with my cats, or my home? Nope, just a little something I get to watch now and again. Its something that is nice and simple and grounds me, during a rough day at work.

Sort of like the cats. I imagine that, on their best days, they hang out together, and share stories about their little cat-lives. Maybe talk about what they see out the window now and again. I don't know.

I know that I have a wife that's awesome and brilliant. I have a kid that knows just enough to be dangerous, and whom I think has secret plans for world domination. And I have cats who act like they own the place.