Abou II

Okay, I am feeling pretty bad today (see two posts below). So I went back and looked up how many times Abou had played a role, either by name or reputation, in columns I had written. In general it is a silly and self-indulgent thing to write about one's own pets, so I tried to keep it to a reasonable minimum, and not to get all gooey about it. Feel free to skip the rest of this post if you are of a different bent, or think that I am being foolish and self-indulgent. Otherwise, consider it a tribute to our friends, present and absent.

Here was the first one, when I took in Emily, the soon-to-be mother, in 1998 (I met her at a party at Sue Carlton's house).

The birth: "After a little while Emily made a funny face, opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. She turned and looked me directly in the eye, reached out with her hind paw to place it against my hand, and began to push. Based on my limited experience, cats have an easier time of it than we do. Within a minute or so we had acquired what, although one could not tell it from actual appearance, I reasonably inferred was a kitten."

Update, 2000: "A man in my position is not wise to discuss cats in print too often. No matter how well received the topic may be, it brings scorn from tougher colleagues, and sneers from my friends at the Weekly Planet. Nonetheless, it has been two years since the topic was attacked in any detail, and enough has transpired to justify the enterprise anew."

June 2003: The story of Abou the Cat vs. a certain catfish.

Update, 2005: "In the autumn of 1998, some readers may recall, I fell into the company of a certain Emily. I did not know upon admitting her to my home that Emily had already tasted of the world and was looking for a haven to complete her mission, namely, the manufacture of new cats, six being the final number."

February 2008: "From time to time, my cat Abou delivers a fruit rat to the front door. I always feel a little ungrateful about complaining, since he went to all the trouble. In the same way, I hate to seem ungrateful to our new governor, Charlie Crist, who delivered a big box labeled "Property Tax Relief" to the front door this week. But on balance, the fruit rat is looking better."

Thank you, and best wishes to everyone.

Abou

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

       -- James Leigh Hunt

Me, B.A., M.A.

Forgive me for horn-tooting. Here's me crossing the stage and shaking hands with USF President Judy Genshaft at Saturday night's commencement exercises in Tampa for doctoral and master's students. After four and a half years I finished my M.A. in ancient history -- you know, Greek and Roman guys wearing dresses and sword-fighting and all. [Photo courtesy of William Murray.]

My master's thesis was titled "Electoral Abuse in the Late Roman Republic." The general idea is that the collapse of the 500-year-old Roman Republic around the time of Julius Caesar, and the beginning of its transformation into the Empire under Augustus, were preceded by a dramatic rise in the stretching and breaking of laws concerning the Romans' annual elections.

You've got to be really bored or really interested, but... here's a copy: Download Thesis.pdf

Gratuitous photographs of 15-week-old puppy