The NFL, Sophie

3 March – Kossouka 8:30pm

Dear America – eh?! I listen to the BBC World News Hour at night to find out what is going on in the world. This recently has been an hour about political issues and the civil wars going on in North Africa. Most “human interest” stories are short 30-second blurbs – i.e. Mazda is recalling a car prone to spider infestation (weird and terrifying) or environmental efforts in Spain. But the NFL dispute between owners and players who can't agree how to split 9 billion dollars in revenue got an extended 7 minute interview. I'm in my lovely little house in third-world Africa, without electricity, without running water, without internet or newspapers, but I know that if the NFL doesn't reach some decision by midnight there are concerns that the next season might be *gasp* delayed or even (don't even think it!) canceled. I agree with Obama – there are people in the US (let alone the rest of the world) who are struggling to pay their mortgage (or, you know, feed their children) and you can't agree on who deserves to be a billionaire vs a mere millionaire – you should really take a hard look at your priorities. I know everyone deserves to get paid for the work they do, but come on. Clearly I just don't appreciate the sport enough.

I'm enjoying having Sophie (the kitten) around. She's getting much friendlier and adventurous, and doesn't jump as much when loud or surprising noises happen. She still sleeps constantly, but that definitely fits me and my life. She has kind of a cute broken squeaky meow, ginger stripes with white patches on her shoulders, face, and paws, a bubble-gum pink nose, clear blue eyes that sometimes take on a gray tint, and a very loud purr. She likes to have her back rubbed, less so for her ears. She tolerates being picked up but doesn't like to be held for too long. Sometimes she wanders around the house meowing for no obvious reason. She likes to chase my feet as I walk (very dangerous!), play with crumpled paper, and chase a q-tip tied to a piece of dental floss. She clearly prefers fish, but I'm hoping to introduce other foods to her diet as well. Her first day she stayed hidden in a corner under my folded cot, but now her preferred place is under my reading chair, which is perfect because I can reach under and pick her up when I want to..