Well, I’m afraid that day has finally come, and Alex (a.k.a. The Buddy), is no longer with us. He died today.
Liz and I are sad now, and while we already miss him terribly, in a way it’s like he never left, because his mark on us is indelible. For those who met him, I’m sure you know how just great he was, and for those who didn’t, well, Alex was just one in a million. Mr. Cool.
And what a life he had:
* 1992 – Responding to flier in the classroom building during college, I picWell, I’m afraid that day has finally come, and Alex (a.k.a. The Buddy), is no longer with us. He died today.
Liz and I are sad now, and while we already miss him terribly, in a way it’s like he never left, because his mark on us is indelible. For those who met him, I’m sure you know how just great he was, and for those who didn’t, well, Alex was just one in a million. Mr. Cool.
And what a life he had:
* 1992 – Responding to flier in the classroom building during college, I pick up Alex from the mean streets of Buffalo.
* 1992-1994 – Alex establishes himself as the coolest of cats; fun and loving, gentle and a little bit crazy.
* 1994 – On Long Island, while I’m away in Europe, Alex gets hit by car in near-fatal bang-up; he goes bionic (we did actually rebuild him). Alex makes full recovery, with mechanical pin in shoulder and slightly misaligned jaw; becomes more superhuman than ever (or is that superfeline?)
* 1995 – Alex drives cross country with with me–twice–to Arizona and back, with stops in Wheeling, West Virginia; Tera Houte, Indiana; St. Louis; Albuquerque; and Tempe, Arizona. Alex preferred the second shift behind the wheel and driving with the windows open, as opposed to air conditioning. (I was the opposite).
* 1995 – In Tempe, Alex gets bitten by alley skank cat; gets massive infection; makes full recovery.
* 1995 – 1996 – Back on Long Island, Alex brings me numerous decapitated birds and mice, dropping them on my pillow as an early morning wake-up; he wins both my horror and pride.
* 1997 – Alex moves with me to Brooklyn – becomes neighborhood mensch (and brawler; gets butt kicked several times; gives out a few beatings as well); also brings me the occasional bird (sometimes headless). Settles in to the Brooklyn digs.
* 1998 – Alex begins tour as indoor crumpled-up-paper baseball prodigy. Has line drive power; hits to all fields.
* 1998 – Alex gets mouth infection; has three teeth extracted
* 2000 – Alex bonds with Liz; love at first sight!
* 2001 – 2006 – Alex establishes himself as neighborhood mainstay of Manhattan’s Upper West Side when we all relocate to Liz’s apartment. Thriving on energy of the big city, Alex goes in full bonkers mode at 9 pm nightly, doing his best Tasmanian Devil impersonation. That boy could move!
* 2002 – Alex establishes 6 am wake-up call with full meowing thunder; protests to postpone rise and shine until 7 am go unheeded. Alex has set the time.
* 2002 – Alex works on switch-hitting as indoor crumpled-up-paper baseball prodigy; shows more power from the right side, but has a sweet lefty swing.
* 2002 – 2006 – Liz supplants me as Alex’s favorite resting buddy; there’s just nothing like the warm embrace of a good woman (my woman!); despite my protests, Alex was unmoved; Liz was now his; I had to wait in line. Alex usually sleeps on Liz’s back.
* 2004 – Alex sets indoor speed racing/slalom record, traversing entire apartment and furniture in 4.317 seconds–.021 seconds better than his previous record.
* 2005 – Alex gets near-fatal case of E-Coli poisoning (likely from a mouse he chowed down, protecting the home from those scurrilous critters). Emaciated and days from death, Alex is finally diagnosed properly and treated; again makes full recovery.
* 2006 – Alex gets another mouth infection; looses two more teeth.
* 2006 – Alex moves to Queens when we all relocate to Forest Hills; claims every corner of new apartment as his; finds new levels of comfort and sprawl. Perches on all windowsills; runs like mad from end of apartment to the other. Timing is off record pace, but control and precision improved.
* 2006 – Alex now establishes 5 am wake-up call with full meowing thunder; protests to extend that time until 6 am go unheeded. Again, Alex has set the time.
* 2008 – Bionic implants start to short-circuit. After a few wobbly months of attempted repairs and maintenance, Alex signs off.
I could probably go on forever about Alex, so I’ll just say that all the time I had with him was a gift from the gods. Alex may be gone from this world, but Liz and I will spend the rest of our lives celebrating his …
If you want to see pics of the coolest cat ever, click on the PHOTOS section, where I’ve uploaded lots of Alex moments dating from our days in Buffalo to now.
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/06/07 05:48
