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Ever since Whiskey Kitty first arrived in my life, she has moved through the house like a tiny striped lightning bolt. When she was a baby, barely bigger than a softball, she had two speeds: fast and faster. She chased everything, investigated everything, and ran through the house like a detective who had just discovered a mysterious crime scene involving yarn. That’s why I started calling her “The Fast and the Curious.” Back then she was into everything. Every corner of the house had to be inspected. Every sound demanded investigation. Every string, ribbon, or imaginary bug on the wall...

Living with a cat is a lot like living with a tiny philosopher who believes the universe revolves around two things: curiosity and timing. Not your timing, of course. Their timing. Whiskey Kitty has made that principle perfectly clear. Like most cats, Whiskey only wants attention when she decides it’s time. If I pick her up during one of her “independent hunter” moods, she slips away like a shadow that suddenly remembered it has other plans. But the moment I sit down to do something important, especially something involving electronics, she appears as though summoned by an invisible signal from...

Living with a cat is a little like living with a philosopher who speaks in riddles and occasionally bites your hand. Whiskey Kitty is no exception. Most of the time she’s playful, affectionate, and curious. But there’s one behavior that had me puzzled for a while. If Whiskey is sleeping or resting, she lets me pick her up and carry her wherever I want. I can take her downstairs to play or bring her back up to her room and she tolerates the whole thing without complaint. But when she’s awake and fully aware, the rules change completely. The moment...

Living with a cat is a little like living with a tiny tiger that sometimes thinks your fingers are wildlife. Lately I’ve been trying to understand the language of Whiskey Kitty. She loves to pounce and play, but whenever she catches her target she bites. She also bites occasionally when we pet her. In most other ways she’s perfectly friendly, playful, and affectionate, but the teeth keep showing up. It naturally raises the question: Does this mean she doesn’t like me? After observing her behavior and learning a bit more about how cats communicate, the answer appears to be reassuring....

I bought another pack today, and yes, I’m smoking from it. Some of my followers think the problem is that I simply have too much time on my hands. Too much quiet space in the day where the mind wanders and eventually circles back to cigarettes. Maybe they’re right. Maybe idle time is like a stage where old habits walk on wearing tuxedos and top hats, taking their bow like they never left. The truth is that a lot of my strategies just aren’t working right now. That’s frustrating to admit. Nobody wants to write a daily journal where the...