Introducing Thelonious Monk (aka Monkey Man)

Ladies and gentleman, I give you our new kitten Thelonious Monk aka Monk or Monkey depending on your mood. He's a spastic piano playing all black kitty who is trying his damndest to get us all over Vincent's passing. It's not working for Jules yet, but we are getting closer:

He's four months old and we adopted him on Friday from the Northshore Animal League in Long Island who dubbed him Monkey due to his tendency to climb up walls, cages and people. He's been through just about everything a little stray could have; anemia, skin disorders, intestinal parasites, upper respiratory infections, etc. But now he's healthy and grateful for him new big home to run around it. Except the stairs—he's already fallen down them once and is deathly afraid to go near them now. Until he gets a little bigger we will carry him up and down. He loves real fur mice and socks, but his favorite thing to do is meet new people and love them to death. Yes, that's right he's a lover and everyone who has met him thus far has wanted to steal him.

More Monk:

All we are waiting for now is for Jules to like him. Hopefully they'll be friends in a few more weeks.

Comments

[justenjoyyrblog]

Wow, he reminds me so much of our cat Olive, or Ollie, or Leggs depending on your flexibility with names.
She was a straight up ferral cat and within a week she grew a large bubble in her abdomen. It popped pretty quickly and the green ooze was scary. We took her to the vet where they determined that she had been in a fight resulting in a cyst that would require an operation. First thought: I have known this kitten for a couple days, maybe spending $1200 at a time that we were not financially sucure was not the smartest move in the world. But somehow we went against our 'best interests' and gave her the works. She arrived back in our place, with the traditional lamp shade head gear and a half shaven body with a tube that was designed to randomly drain the puss from the wound (on our floor). She healed quickly and has since been, behaviourly, the best cat we have ever had. She endured moves, new kids, other animals, and at times our complete ignorance. Now that we live in the country, she has gone back to her roots. We fully expect to see a fresh mouse on our deck (for show) or slaughtered bunny in our field (for game) every few days. I think she is enjoying life and we enjoy her love of it. It sounds like you will do the same with Theo Monk.

[Peter Ricci]

Dear Dana,

Humorous entry! My name is Peter Ricci, and I am a college student and writer who is currently contributing to an upstart online magazine called ‘Too Shy to Stop,’ which focuses on culture and the arts.

I came across your entry, as it would turn out, while conducting research for an essay on Thelonious Monk! I specifically look at the history and characteristics behind Monk, and argue that he personified all of the grandest traditions of jazz as an American art form.

So, check it out here (http://tooshytostop.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/the-obtuse-brilliance-of-thelonious-monk/) and leave a comment! I think you’ll enjoy it, and I always love to read input from readers.

Sincerely,

Peter Ricci