October 1st, 2006
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Things long overdue
In the days following Geisai, I seem to be reluctant to do much of anything. I sleep, but I’m tired. Things are intractable, I don’t have the power to overcome the inertia of anything static. I did, however, recently get out to see an attraction that I’d been meaning to experience for a number of years. Nekobukuro (literally, “cat bag”), is a section on the seventh floor the Ikebukuro Tokyu Hands. Essentially this is a place for people to congregate and play with cats. I had a grand image of the space spanning the entire floor, but it’s just a couple small rooms lined with colorful cat-themed furniture and puns. A rotation of about three dozen animals “work” various days of the week, and are generally happy to be fed treats or chase after balls of string. The remainder of the time they seem to enjoy sleeping. Aside from the occasional overzealous child, it must be a pretty sweet life.
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I actually used to hate cats, mainly because I was incredibly allergic and their saliva-coated dander made me a bleary, puffy-eyed, sneezing mess. However, in recent years I have come to more and more respect them as animals, and now considering my streamlined and evolving philosophy, hold them in even higher regard than dogs. Luckily, as I tend to become stronger and more badass about things as I get older, my allergies have, for the most part, waned as well. Hayfever and ragweed are non-factors for me, and it seems that I can play with cats for a relatively long period of time and not be affected much. If I choose the right breed, I may in fact actually be able to live with one and avoid developing asthma.
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First I need a life where I can actually have time to be around the house to interact with a nascent family, though.
[Forgive the blurry pictures, the residents of Nekobukuro understandably asked that I refrain from flash photography.]
